UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT    LOS  ANGELES 


REV.    GEORGE    BROWN,    D.D. 


GEORGE    BROWN,    D.D. 


PIONEER-MISSIONARY   AND    EXPLORER 


AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


A  NARRATIVE  OF  FORTY-EIGHT  YEARS'  RESIDENCE 
AND  TRAVEL  IN  SAMOA,  NEW  BRITAIN,  NEW 
IRELAND,  NEW  GUINEA,  AND  THE  SOLOMON  ISLANDS 


WITH   ONE   HUNDRED   AND   ELEVEN   ILLUSTRATIONS   AND   MAP 


HODDER    AND    STOUGHTON 
LONDON     MCMVIII 


'  An  honest  tale  speeds  best,  being  plainly  told." 

Richard  III. ,  Act  IV. ,  Sc.  4 


PnnKd  by  Hwll,  H'ataoH  <$.  yinty,  Ld.,  London  and  AyUsbury. 


WA 


TO   MY   WIFE 


219656 


PREFACE 

I  HAVE  written  this  account  of  my  life  very  unwillingly,  in 
deference  to  the  oft-repeated  wishes  of  my  many  friends  and 
of  the  Conference  to  which  I  belong.  I  have  endeavoured, 
however,  to  make  it  in  some  measure  a  history  of  the  principal 
events  in  the  Mission  Districts  with  which  I  have  been  more 
immediately  connected.  My  difficulty  has  been  to  condense 
the  account  into  reasonable  limits,  and  in  doing  this  I  have 
had  to  omit  some  details  which  might  not  interest  the  general 
reader,  as  well  as  particulars  of  the  manners  and  customs,  folk- 
lore, and  other  matters  of  interest  to  students  of  anthropology 
and  ethnology.  These,  however,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  give 
in  a  separate  volume  in  the  not  distant  future. 

Descriptions  of  several  collections  and  specimens  of  natural 
history  which  I  forwarded  to  England  will  be  found  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London  for  the  years 
1877  to  1881. 


CONTENTS 


II 

SAMOA 29 

III 
NEW   BRITAIN 69 

IV 
PIONEER  WORK   IN   NEW   BRITAIN   AND   NEW  IRELAND  .      IO5 

V 

SOME  INCIDENTS          .          .          .          .          .          .         ;          .179 

VI 

A      FURLOUGH,      AND      SECOND     TERM     OF      RESIDENCE 

IN    NEW  BRITAIN 219 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 


VIII 


THIRD  TERM  OF  RESIDENCE  IN   NEW   BRITAIN 

- 


IX 

TONGAN   AFFAIRS 

X 

PIONEERING  IN   NEW  GUINEA    . 

XI 

SOLOMON   ISLANDS,  FIJI— AND  EVENTIDE 


I  LLUSTRATIONS 

REV.    GEORGE    BROWN,    D.D Frontispitce 

SAMOA 

FACING  PAGE 

MISSION    HOUSE    AT   SATUPAITEA,    SAMOA 30 

LARGE    STONE    CHURCH    AT    SATUPAITEA,    SAMOA      ....  32 

NATIVE    BRIDGE    AT    SAFUNE 34 

NATIVE    BRIDGE    AT   APIA 36 

INTERIOR   OF    CHURCH,    MANONO,    BUILT   BY    SAMOANS     ...  38 

GREAT   FEAST,    SATUPAITEA,    AT    OPENING    OF   NEW    CHURCH  .            .  40 

A  SAMOAN  LADY  OF  RANK  WEARING  THE  TUINGA,  AN  ORNAMENTED 

HEAD-DRESS    MADE    OF   HUMAN    HAIR         .  .  .  .  .42 

A   SAMOAN    TULAFALE    (ORATOR) 44 

The  staff  and  fly-whisk  are  the  insignia  of  his  office. 

A   SAMOAN    ORATOR    AND   THREE    GIRLS  ......  46 

A   VILLAGE    TEACHER   AND    SCHOOL            ......  48 

A  Study  of  Faces. 

THREE  SAMOAN  GIRLS 5O 

TWO  SAMOAN  WARRIORS  IN  FULL  COSTUME          .        .        .        .52 

TULAFALES   AND   HEADS   OF  FAMILIES,   WHO    HAVE    BROUGHT  A 

PRESENT  OF  FOOD  TO  VISITORS 54 

WOMEN  AND  GIRLS  BRINGING  PRESENT  OF  FOOD  TO  VISITORS     .  56 

MIXING  THE  AVA  (KAVA),  A  CEREMONIAL  DRINK          ...  58 

THREE  YOUNG  WOMEN,  SAMOA 60 

A  SAMOAN  YOUNG  WOMAN 62 

R.  L.  STEVENSON'S  HOUSE,  VAILIMA 64 

NEW    BRITAIN 

OUR   FIRST    HOUSE    AT    PORT    HUNTER 70 

MISSION    HOUSE,    PORT   HUNTER 80 

CHURCH    AT   MATUPIT       .........  88 

Photo  taken  just  after  the  baptism  of  ninety-five  converts. 

MEMBERS    OF   DUKDUK,    A    SECRET   SOCIETY 96 

A   TYPICAL   NEW    BRITAIN    VILLAGE            .            .            .             .             .  IO6 

ix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING  PAGE 
THREE    NATIVES Il6 

The  one  in  the  centre  is  a  prominent  member  (or  master)  of  a  Secret  Society 
called  Iniat. 

9 

PROFILE   VIEW   OF   TWO    OF   THE    ABOVE Il6 

A   NATIVE    OF   THE    SOUTH    END    OF   NEW    BRITAIN  .  .  .128 

In  that  district  the  sides  of  the  head  are  compressed  in  infancy  to  elongate  it. 

MASKED  "SPIRIT  DANCERS" 144 

Note  the  carved  snakes  on  top  of  masks.     (Photo  by  Rev.  H.  Fellmann.) 
NATIVE    DANCE,    DUKE    OF   YORK    ISLAND,    NEW   BRITAIN  .  .       l6O 

WOOD    CARVINGS    AND    MASKS,    NEW   IRELAND  .  .  .  .       1/2 

Note  the  cross-hilted  sword  on  carving. 
THE    FIRST     CHURCH     IN     NEW   BRITAIN     AND    FIVE    OF   THE    FIRST 

CONVERTS         .  '.  .  ,'"•'••' 184 

WARUWARUM    AND    THREE    OF    HIS   WIVES         .  .  .  .  .       1 88 

The  woman  with  white  dress  is  the  one  he  wished  to  kill  and  cook. 

THREE    WOOD    CARVINGS,    NEW   IRELAND  .....       IQ2 

CARVING  OF  LARGE  BIRD  CARRYING  OFF  A  CHILD  OR  MAN,  TWO 
FISHES  APPARENTLY  ATTACKING  THE  BIRD,  BIRDS  EATING 

SNAKES,    NEW    IRELAND  , 2OO 

CARVINGS   AND    MASKS,    NEW   IRELAND 2o8 

The  wooden  image  on  the  left  is  from  the  South  Coast  of  New  Guinea. 

FIVE  HUMAN  SKULL  MASKS,  NEW  BRITAIN 212 

THE  ISLAND  WHICH  WAS  UPHEAVED  IN  1878  (NEAR  THE  MAINLAND), 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MATUPIT  NEAR  THE  VOLCANOES  "  MOTHER  AND 
DAUGHTERS"  .  .  .  .  '-'-.  .*  .  .  .  240 

(Photo  by  Rev.  H.  Fellmann.) 
PRESENT  APPEARANCE  OF  CRATER,  WHICH    WAS    FULL    OF    BOILING 

WATER  IN   iS/S,  AND  FOR  SOME  YEARS  AFTERWARDS        .  .       244 

These  two  views  show  vegetation  and  large  casuarina  trees  on  the  island. 
THE   PLACE   WHERE   THE   NATIVE   MINISTER  AND   THREE   TEACHERS 

WERE    KILLED 258 

The  bodies  were  cut  up  under  the  cocoanut  palm  on  the  left.     (Photo  by 
Rev.  H.  Fellmann.) 
METLIK     (OR     LIKILIKI),    WHERE     MARQUIS     DE     RAYS'     COLONISTS 

LANDED 354 

A   NUMBER    OF   MARQUIS    DE    RAYS*    COLONISTS    AT   LIKILIKI    .  .       358 

MRS.    BROWN  .  .  7  .  .  .  .       396 

A   LAST   LOOK   AT   THE   GRAVES   OF   OUR   CHILDREN  .  .  .      406 

TONGA 

COAST   SCENE,    TONGATABU      .  .  t  ,  .  .  .  .      424 

LARGE    TRILITHON    AT    MUA     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       432 

Weight  of  side  stones  about  thirty- five  tons  each,  height  17  feet,  top  stone 
morticed  into  side  stones.  Native  name  "  Koe  haamonga  a  Maul,"  the  burden 
of  Maul,  one  of  their  deities.  No  native  knows  how  they  were  got  from  the  sea  to 
the  middle  of  the  island  ;  why  they  were  placed  there,  or  who  were  the  men  who 
erected  them.  Probably  a  monument  to  one  of  the  Tui  Tonga,  sacred  kings  of 
Tonga,  or  a  gateway  to  the  burial  place  of  some  of  the  sacred  kings. 

SIDE    VIEW    OF   THE    ABOVE,    SHOWING    MORTICE      .  .  .  .       432 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

FACINO  PAGE 

BURIAL    PLACE    OF   ONE    OF   THE    SACRED    KINGS    OF   TONGA     .            .  440 

Four  raised  terraces  built  of  immense  itones  ;  grave  on  top. 

TWO    TONGAN    YOUNG    WOMEN 444 

The  one  on  the  right  was  afterwards  murdered  in  New  Guinea. 

TWO   TONGAN    YOUNG   WOMEN           ....                         .            .  448 

TONGAN   YOUNG   WOMAN    AND    CHILD •  4$2 

THE    LAST    PHOTO    OF    KING   GEORGE    OF   TONGA        .            .            .            .  456 
Age  at  the  time  ninety-two  or  ninety-three  years. 

NEW    GUINEA 

PORT   MORESBY 466 

THREE    NATIVES,    NEW   GUINEA,    NEAR    PORT   MORESBY  .             .            .  468 

TWO    NEW   GUINEA    GIRLS,    PORT    MORESBY 4/O 

HOUSES,    KEREPUNU,    NEW   GUINEA 472 

VILLAGE    ON    ELEVA    ISLAND,    PORT    MORESBY             ....  474 

MARINE    VILLAGE,    TUPUSELEI 476 

POTTERY-MAKING,    PORT    MORESBY 476 

TWO    NEW   GUINEA    WARRIORS,    PORT    MORESBY   DISTRICT          .            .  478 
VILLAGE    OF   KADAWAGA    (TROBRIANDS   GROUP)        .            .            .            .480 

YAM    HOUSES,    KIRIWINA,    NEW   GUINEA 482 

NATIVES    AND    AUTHOR   AT    MURUA,    NEW   GUINEA               .            .^        .  484 

SPECIMEN    OF   HOUSES    AND    "  DECORATION    "    AT    DOBU    IN    1 890    .  486 

WOMEN    AND    GIRLS,    DOBU 488 

CHIEF   GAGANAMOLE   AND    WIFE,    DOBU 49O 

TWO    TYPICAL   GIRLS    OF   DOBU 492 

GROUP  ON   MISSION   STATION,   DOBU,    1897,   SIX  YEARS  AFTER  COM- 
MENCEMENT   OF   THE    MISSION 496 

GROUP    OF   NATIVES,    NORMANBY    ISLAND,    NEW   GUINEA             .            .  5OO 

MEN      AND      BOY,      FRIEDERICK      WILHEMSHAFEN,      GERMAN      NEW 

GUINEA  ...........  504 

WOMEN    AND    GIRLS,    FRIEDERICK    WILHEMSHAFEN,    GERMAN    NEW 

GUINEA 508 

FIJI 

PART   OF  THE   TOWN   OF   BAU,    FIJI 22O 

GRAVE    OF    REV.    JOHN    HUNT,    VIWA,    FIJI 224 

VIEW    OF    INTERIOR   OF   ISLAND    NA   VITI   LEVU,    FIJI         .            .            .  2J2 

VIEW   IN   TOWN    OF    SOMOSOMO,    FIJI 236 

THE  LATE  SIR  J.  B.  THURSTON  AND  WAWABALAVU,  THE  CHIEF  WHO 

MURDERED    REV.    THOMAS    BAKER   AND    PARTY           .            .            .  2$2 

A    FIJIAN    "  MEKE,"    A    DESCRIPTIVE    DANCE    IN    WAR    TIME    OR    AT 

FEASTS 264 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 
AKESA,    WIDOW   OF   JOELI    BULU     ...  ...       272 

A    CHIEF   OF    REWA  .........       280 

FIJIAN   GIRLS 288 

TWO    FIJIAN    LADIES    OF   HIGH    RANK 2Q2 

A   FIJIAN    CHIEF      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       304 

(Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry.) 

SOLOMON   ISLANDS 

NATIVE    CANOE,    MARAU    SOUND,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS          .  .  .312 

SACRED    HOUSE,    SHORTLANDS    GROUP,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS         .  .316 

HOUSE   AND    ARECA    PALMS,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS         .  .328 

MAN    AND    WOMAN,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS    ....       336 
CANOE    HOUSE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  ....       344 

HOUSES,    RUVIANA 344 

(Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry.) 

COAST   SCENE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  ....  348 

MIA,    A    CHIEF    OF   RUVIANA 364 

GUMI,    A    CHIEF   OF    RUVIANA .  3/2 

(Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry.) 

STONE   WHARF    AT    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS     ....  3/2 

A   NOTED    HEAD-HUNTER,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  ....  380 

A    MAN    OF   NEW   GEORGIA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  ....  388 

SACRED    IMAGE,    SIMBO    ISLAND,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  .  .  .  400 

SACRED    IMAGE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS  ....  4OO 

BOW    OF   TOMAKO    (WAR    CANOE)      .            .            .            .            .  .  .412 

This  is  inlaid  with  pearl  shell  and  ornamented  also  with  shells. 

STERN    OF    SAME    CANOE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS.  .  .4X2 

BURIAL    PLACE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS            .            .  .  .       $l6 

MAN  WITH  CLOCK  PLACED  IN  LOBE  OF  HIS  EAR  TO  SHOW  THE  SIZE 
OF  THE  ORIFICE.  CIRCUMFERENCE  OF  CLOCK,  THIRTEEN 
INCHES 5l8 

MAN    WITH    BOX    OF   SPARKLET    CARTRIDGES    PLACED    IN    THE  LOBE 

OF   THE    EAR,    TO    SHOW   SIZE    OF   THE    ORIFICE  .  .  $2O 

RETURN  OF  FLEET  OF  TOMAKOS  (WAR  CANOES)  FROM  AN  EX- 
PEDITION   522 

A   WAR    CANOE    STARTING    ON    EXPEDITION 522 

THREE    GIRLS    OF   LUA    NIUA,    ONTONG   JAVA 524 

LARGE    GENERAL    CEMETERY,    LUA    NIUA,    ONTONG   JAVA  .  .526 

ANOTHER    VIEW    OF    CEMETERY,    ONTONG   JAVA         ....       528 
ANOTHER    CEMETERY,    LUA    NIUA,    ONTONG    JAVA     .  .  .  530 

"  A    STUDY    IN    BLACK    AND    WHITE  " 532 

(Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry.) 
THE    MISSION    YACHT,    "  GEORGE    BROWN  "...  .       534 


THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL 


I 

THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL 

THE  little  quiet  town  of  Barnard  Castle,  in  the  county  of 
Durham,  in  which  I  was  born,  had  been  the  scene  of  many 
stirring  events  in  border  history.  Many  a  fierce  fight  was 
fought  under  the  walls  of  the  old  castle,  which  still  rears  its 
ruined  walls  far  above  the  rushing  Tees  at  the  foot  of  the 
cliff  on  which  the  castle  was  built. 

As  it  is  the  usual  thing  to  say  something  of  a  man's  ancestry 
in  writing  his  life,  I  may  state  that  the  oldest  member  of  our 
family  on  my  father's  side  that  I  ever  knew  was  his  grand- 
mother, an  old  lady  at  Staindrop,  a  few  miles  from  Barnard 
Castle.  She  always  declared  that  she  could  trace  her  ancestry 
in  a  direct  line  to  Bishop  Ridley  ;  and  I  may  say,  in  passing, 
that  when  I  was  home  in  1886  and  visited  Staindrop,  I  inquired 
of  the  old  parish  clerk,  and  he  assured  me  that  the  lady  was 
quite  correct  in  her  statement.  My  own  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers  I  never  knew. 

My  father,  George  Brown,  was  left  an  orphan  at  thirteen, 
and  had  ever  afterwards  to  depend  entirely  on  his  own 
exertions.  He  came  to  Barnard  Castle  as  an  office-boy  for 
a  solicitor,  and  step  by  step  won  for  himself  a  very  important 
position  in  the  town  and  county  in  which  his  life  was  passed. 
I  may  be  pardoned,  perhaps,  for  giving  here  a  quotation 
from  a  memoir  published  by  the  Rev.  Brooke  Herford.  He 
says  :  "  The  name  of  George  Brown  was  not  only  familiar  through 
all  that  country  side,  but  was  known  and  regarded  with  a 
rare  respect  throughout  Durham  and  the  whole  North  Riding* 

3 


4  GEORGE    BROWN 

and  tenderly  beloved  by  many  a  little  flock  of  Christian  people 
in  those  parts.  Though  he  was  a  Dissenter,  and  not  only  a 
Unitarian  but  a  Unitarian  who  preached  in  the  little  chapel 
Sunday  by  Sunday,  his  townsmen  felt  that  in  him  they  had 
lost  their  ablest  man  ;  his  funeral  became  spontaneously  a 
public  one,  and  the  parish  church  bells  rang  muffled  peals 
during  the  service." 

Of  his  career  his  biographer  says :  "  He  gradually  won 
that  singular  confidence  alike  of  rich  and  poor,  which  was 
perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  thing  in  his  life.  And  it  was 
not  mere  respect  for  his  justice  and  kindness.  He  became 
known  as  a  man  of  wide  information  and  great  aptitude  in 
varied  kinds  of  business.  His  shrewdness  and  ability  in 
public  affairs,  his  spirit  of  high,  scrupulous,  Christian  honour, 
his  enthusiasm  for  every  good  cause,  and  his  tenacious  per- 
severance in  every  work  he  took  up,  gradually  became  con- 
spicuous to  all ;  and,  though  a  man  of  singularly  modest  and 
retiring  character,  he  insensibly  came,  by  the  simple  gravitation 
of  natural  ability,  to  occupy  a  leading  place  in  every  movement 
affecting  the  industrial,  intellectual,  or  moral  well-being  of 
his  town.  He  originated  the  Darlington  and  Stockton  Times, 
and  was  its  first  editor.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Mechanics'  Institute,  and  for  some  years  he  was  its  secretary. 
He  was  secretary  of  the  South  Durham  and  Lancashire  Union 
Railway  and  the  Eden  Valley  Railway,  clerk  to  the  Board 
of  Health,  and  in  his  later  years  was  '  called  '  to  the  Bar  in 
the  Middle  Temple.  His  services  in  that  capacity  were  in 
constant  requisition,  and  he  soon  won  the  reputation  of  an  able 
and  thoroughly  upright  lawyer,  whilst  a  small  handbook  which 
he  published  on  a  subject  which  his  railway  experience  had 
rendered  of  special  interest  to  him,  Ttie  Law  of  Common 
Carriers,  is  referred  to  as  an  authority.  He  was  a  very  early 
riser.  In  the  winter  mornings  books  were  his  companions. 
He  was,  as  a  friend  of  his  has  described  him  to  me, '  a  devouring 
reader '  ;  and  he  appeared  never  to  forget  what  he  read.  In 
the  summer  he  loved  to  spend  his  mornings  in  the  open  air, 


THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL  5 

reading  in  the  woods,  cultivating  his  love  of  nature  and  of 
science.  He  gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  every  nook 
and  cranny  for  many  a  mile,  and  became  thoroughly  skilled 
in  the  botany  and  geology  of  the  whole  district.  He  once 
gave  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  '  Wild  Flora '  of  the  district, 
when  he  had  the  flowers  collected  and  arranged  on  a  long 
table  across  the  room,  and  beginning  at  one  end,  taking  up 
the  flowers  one  by  one  as  he  came  to  them,  without  a  note 
of  writing,  and  with  the  whole  air  of  one  talking  out  of  the 
fullness  of  a  mind  that  knew  and  loved  them  thoroughly,  he 
described  their  structure,  the  functions  of  their  different  parts, 
and  their  medicinal  or  other  properties  ;  and  then  wandered 
off  now  and  then  into  beautiful  digressions  about  their  associa- 
tions with  poetry  and  mythology.  His  solicitude  for  the 
poor  was  evident,  and  his  efforts  to  ameliorate  their  condition 
only  ceased  with  his  life.  No  man  in  the  neighbourhood 
was  so  universally  consulted  ;  men  of  every  class  looked  to 
his  calm,  thoughtful  judgment  with  singular  confidence ;  and 
no  man  was  more  ready  to  afford  counsel,  even,  as  was  often 
the  case,  at  great  personal  inconvenience. 

"  To  those  who  knew  him  in  his  beautiful  and  simple 
private  life  he  was  still  more  endearing — a  man  of  deep 
religious  and  happy  piety.  It  was  this  religious  life, 
indeed,  which  was  the  most  interesting  feature  in  his  character  ; 
but  I  have  dwelt  so  long  upon  his  career  as  a  worker  and 
citizen,  because  religion  shows  the  noblest  when  it  appears 
as  the  crowning  grace  and  strength  of  a  life  manly,  capable, 
and  active  all  round.  From  youth  it  was  conspicuous  in  him. 
He  began  life  as  a  Methodist,  and  learned  among  the  associa- 
tions of  Methodism  that  outspoken  piety  and  love  of  the 
Scriptures  and  prayer  which  characterised  him  to  the  end. 
He  never  seemed  so  happy  as  when  he  was  conversing  on 
the  great  themes  of  God  and  Providence,  of  Christ  and  His 
holy  work,  and  of  the  hopes  and  foreshadowings  of  the  heavenly 
world.  '  At  such  time,'  says  one  who  had  spent  many  an  hour 
with  him  thus,  'his  whole  countenance  beamed  with  light 


6  GEORGE    BROWN 

his  conversation  grew  unusually  animated,  and  the  utterances 
of  sages,  prophets,  and  poets  flowed  rapidly  from  his  lips 
and  mingled  with  his  own  earnest  and  impressive  words.' 
His  reverence  for  '  The  Book  '  grew  upon  him  year  by  year, 
and  he  often  expressed  his  indebtedness  to  it  for  many  of 
his  happiest  hours,  as  well  as  for  support  in  his  sorest  trials. 
But  what  he  loved  most  of  all  to  dwell  upon  of  late  years 
was  the  character  of  Jesus.  In  his  preaching,  as  well  as  in 
private  conversation,  he  seemed  never  tired  of  dwelling  on 
the  beauty  and  strengthening  power  of  that  marvellous  Life  ; 
and  his  services  in  the  little  chapel  were  characterised  by 
an  intensely  devout  and  reverential  spirit,  which  those  who 
met  with  him  there  will  never  forget." 

I  have  given  these  extracts  from  a  memoir  prefixed  to  a 
volume  of  sermons  entitled  Words  from  a  Layman's  Ministry, 
the  second  edition  of  which  is  now  out  of  print.  The  Rev.  J.  J. 
Taylor,  B.A.,  wrote  the  preface  to  the  first  edition,  the  Rev. 
Brooke  Herford,  now  of  Boston,  wrote  the  memoir,  and 
James  Heywood,  Esq.,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  the  preface  to  the  second 
edition. 

My  father,  so  far  as  I  remember,  like  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Martineau,  never  considered  himself  a  Unitarian  in  the  generally 
accepted  meaning  of  the  term.  His  opinions  were  those 
which  find  their  noblest  expression  in  the  works  of  Channing 
and  Martineau  ;  but  there  is  little  of  them  to  be  seen  in  the 
sermons  which  are  published,  most,  if  not  all,  of  which  might 
be  preached  in  any  Methodist  pulpit  to-day.  When  I  was 
home  I  found  that  a  church  called  the  "  Brown  Memorial 
Church "  had  been  erected  by  the  people  to  whom  he  gratui- 
tously gave  the  best  years  of  his  life.  I  preached  in  our 
own  Methodist  church  in  the  morning,  and  many  of  those 
who  were  present  attended  the  service  which  I  conducted 
in  the  memorial  church  at  night. 

Of  my  mother  I  have  no  recollections.  She  died  when 
I  was  five  years  of  age.  Her  father,  Mr.  William  Dixon, 
was  one  of  the  first  and  best  known  members  of  our  Church 


THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL   7 

in  Barnard  Castle.  For  many  years  he  was  class  leader  and 
local  preacher,  and  his  grandchildren  still  occupy  prominent 
positions  in  the  ranks  of  our  Church  workers.  He  gave  one 
daughter,  Mrs.  Buddie,  wife  of  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  Buddie 
of  New  Zealand,  to  the  Mission  work,  which  he  dearly  loved. 

I  was  born  on  December  7,  1835.  I  have  been  told  that 
I  was  a  very  quiet  boy ;  but  amongst  my  earliest  recollections 
is  one  of  fiercely  attacking  a  boy  who  had  jeered  at  my  elder 
brother  on  account  of  a  slight  deformity,  and  so  excited  my 
anger.  I  may  have  been  good  when  I  was  little,  and  of 
course  I  believe  the  good  people  who  have  testified  to  the 
fact ;  but  I  have  no  recollections  myself  of  being  what  may 
be  called  a  moral  boy  as  I  grew  up.  I  had  what  used  to  be 
reckoned  in  that  little  town  a  good  education,  in  a  small  private 
school,  but  I  am  sure  it  would  be  considered  wretchedly  bad 
in  these  days.  The  old  master  had  a  fad  about  some  new 
method  of  parsing,  and  we  boys  were  quick  enough  to  see 
that  so  long  as  we  were  up  in  this  we  could  pretty  well  do 
what  we  liked  as  regards  other  branches  of  education.  I  left 
school  knowing  very  little  indeed  except  about  parsing,  all  of 
which  I  have  long  since  forgotten. 

My  first  entrance  into  business  life  was  as  an  assistant 
in  Dr.  C.'s  surgery  ;  but  after  nearly  blowing  up  the  establish- 
ment in  trying  to  make  hydrogen  gas,  and  afterwards  in 
preparing  some  phosphorus  fire-bottles,  which  created  a  sensation 
in  the  streets,  it  was  considered  that  I  had  no  special  gifts 
for  the  medical  profession.  Just  about  that  time  the  Asiatic 
cholera  was  raging  in  Barnard  Castle.  I  was  attacked  by 
the  disease,  and  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  death. 

On  leaving  home  I  was  employed  in  a  large  chemist's  and 
bonded  store  at  Sunderland,  but  failed  again  to  manifest  any 
special  aptitude  for  the  business.  I  was  then  apprenticed  to  a 
draper  in  Hartlepool.  In  this  situation  I  was  often  employed 
in  matters  which  were  not  at  all  connected  with  the  drapery 
business  proper.  We  did  a  great  deal  of  business  with  the 
captains  of  foreign  ships  which  came  to  Hartlepool  for  coals. 


8  GEORGE    BROWN 

These  men  often  brought  over  cigars,  tobacco,  and  other 
dutiable  goods,  which  were  landed  as  the  opportunity  offered 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  Customs  authorities,  and  with- 
out paying  the  proper  dues  to  Her  Majesty's  Government. 
These  men  then  purchased  from  us  large  quantities  of  mole- 
skin and  print  goods,  which  they  managed  to  smuggle  into 
their  own  country  on  their  return.  They  often  needed  help 
in  landing  the  goods  they  brought  to  England,  and  the 
packages  which  they  bought  from  us  had  to  be  conveyed  on 
board  at  night,  after  the  crew  had  gone  to  sleep.  My  em- 
ployer seems  to  have  found  out  that  this  occupation  was  far 
more  congenial  to  me  than  standing  behind  a  counter,  and 
I  was  generally  selected  when  any  assistance  was  necessary. 
I  do  not  think  it  would  be  at  all  profitable  for  me  to  give 
in  detail  the  transactions  in  which  I  took  part  in  those  days. 

It  may  be  that  this  kind  of  life  had  some  effect  in  con- 
firming my  desire  to  go  to  sea ;  at  any  rate  I  felt  very 
strongly  the  desire  to  go,  and  at  last  determined  to  do  so. 
It  was  somewhat  difficult,  as  I  was  properly  indentured,  and 
so  must  be  prepared  to  take  the  consequences  of  being  caught 
and  brought  back  again.  Unfortunately,  also,  I  had  little  or 
no  spare  cash.  At  Christmas  time,  however,  in  1851,  I 
determined  to  make  a  start,  and  left  Hartlepool  in  company 
with  my  employer,  who  was  under  the  delusion  that  I  was 
about  to  visit  my  people  at  home.  He,  I  imagine,  was  very 
much  surprised  when  I  did  not  return,  and  I  know  that  he 
was  specially  annoyed  with  me  because  I  had  borrowed  ten 
shillings  from  him,  to  pay  my  passage  to  London,  and  had 
got  him  to  call  me  early  in  the  morning  when  we  both  left. 
I  went  to  Newcastle,  and  took  a  steerage  passage  in  the  City  of 
Hamburg  to  London.  On  our  way  we  encountered  one  of  the 
fiercest  gales  that  had  been  known  for  many  years ;  we  were  in 
imminent  danger  of  foundering,  and  at  least  six  vessels  were 
known  to  have  gone  down  with  all  hands  in  near  proximity 
to  us.  We  managed,  however,  to  get  back  to  Lowestoft  Roads, 
when  the  weather  moderated.  We  continued  our  way  to 


THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL  9 

London,  passing  large  quantities  of  wreckage  on  our  way.  I 
landed  in  London  with  no  money,  and  only  the  clothes  that  I 
had  on  me  when  I  left  Hartlepool.  I  stayed  for  two  or  three 
days  on  board  a  ship  with  some  lads  who  had  come  from 
Newcastle  to  join  her,  and  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made 
on  the  voyage.  Day  after  day  I  tried  to  find  employment  ; 
but  I  suppose  my  clothes  showed  that  I  had  never  been  to 
sea,  and  men  were  not  anxious  for  the  job  of  breaking  in  a 
new  hand. 

One  day,  however,  I  met  a  captain  who  asked  me  for  my 
qualifications  ;  but  he  did  not  seem  to  be  very  much  impressed 
by  my  account  of  them.  At  last  he  asked  me  if  I  could  cook, 
and  in  desperation  I  answered,  "  Yes."  "  All  right,"  he  said, 
"  turn  to " ;  and  so  I  went  on  board  a  smart  schooner  called 
the  Savage,  belonging  to  Penzance.  She  was  one  of  the 
clipper  schooners  that  were  engaged  in  those  days  in  bringing 
fruit  from  the  Azores.  I  remember  well  the  dinner  that  I  had  to 
cook  that  day — roast  beef,  cabbage,  and  potatoes.  I  put  the 
lot  on  together,  but  soon  found  that  the  cabbage  was  cooked 
long  before  the  beef.  So  I  took  it  off,  and  stood  it  aside 
until  the  beef  was  done,  and  then  warmed  it  up  again.  It 
did  not  improve  the  cabbage,  and  the  captain  and  crew  vented 
their  wrath  upon  the  greengrocer  who  had  supplied  it.  Next 
day  I  knew  better,  and  the  greengrocer  was  re-established  in 
the  captain's  good  graces.  On  Saturday  evening  the  captain 
gave  his  orders  for  Sunday's  dinner,  and  said :  "  Boy,  you 
make  us  a  good  '.plum-duff'  for  to-morrow's  dinner."  "All 
right,  sir,"  I  replied  ;  but  I  could  not  then  face  the  job  of 
making  plum  duff,  and  so  on  Saturday  night  I  cleared.  What 
they  had  for  dinner  on  Sunday  I  do  not  know. 

I  next  shipped  on  board  a  nice  barque  called  the  Alice, 
bound  for  Algoa  Bay,  but  not  this  time  as  cook.  I  left  that 
to  another  and  more  qualified  individual.  Just  before  we  signed 
articles  I  had  come  back  from  the  City,  when  the  other  boy 
handed  me  a  card,  saying  :  "  There  is  a  longshore  cove  looking 
for  you,  and  he  says  if  you  do  not  go  up  to  his  house  to-morrow 


10  GEORGE    BROWN 

morning  he  will  send  the  police  down  after  you."     I  took  the 

card,  and  found  it  was  from  Messrs.  E &  K ,  solicitors, 

Bloomsbury  Square  ;  and  I  knew  at  once  that  my  father's 
London  agents  had  found  where  I  was.  Next  day  I  went  up, 

and  was  shown  into  the  office  ;  but  Mr.  E was  engaged,  and 

I  had  to  wait.  One  of  the  clerks  leant  over  his  desk, 
and  asked  if  I  was  Mr.  Brown's  son,  of  Barnard  Castle  ;  and 
when  he  found  that  this  was  the  case,  he  and  his  fellow- 
clerks  began  to  indulge  in  what  is  generally  known  as  chaffing. 
I  was  confidently  assured  that  I  should  be  sent  to  prison,  and 
would  have  to  endure  some  other  preliminary  punishments. 
They  succeeded  in  making  me  pretty  angry,  which  was  just 
what  they  intended  to  do.  They  were  safe  behind  the 
partition  which  separated  them  from  the  general  office,  and  I 
was  in  the  full  swing  of  giving  them  my  opinion  of  their 
conduct,  and  inviting  them  to  come  out  of  the  office  one  by 
one  that  I  might  impress  it  more  strongly  upon  them,  when 
the  door  opened,  and  they  subsided  at  once  into  apparently 

hard-working  and  attentive  clerks.     Mr.  E told  me  that  I 

must  go  back  home ;  but  I  told  him  that  it  was  no  use  my 
doing  so,  that  I  had  determined  to  go  to  sea,  and  that  I  was 
quite  sure  it  was  the  best  plan  for  me,  and  would  give  the 
least  trouble  to  my  father.  It  ended  in  my  being  supplied 
with  a  little  cash  to  purchase  a  suitable  outfit,  with  my  father's 
reluctant  consent  for  me  to  go.  A  day  or  two  afterwards  I 
received  a  letter  from  my  uncle  in  Sunderland,  saying  that  if  I 
was  determined  to  go  he  would  find  a  ship  for  me  under  the 
command  of  one  of  his  own  friends ;  and  so  a  few  weeks 
afterwards  I  left  London  in  midwinter  on  board  a  large  East 

Indiaman   called    the  Santipore,  Captain  L »,  chartered  by 

Her  Majesty's  Government  as  a  troop-ship. 

We  had  a  very  long  and  stormy  passage  on  this  my  first 
voyage.  I  had  no  favour  shown,  and  had  to  do  my  full 
share  of  work  in  all  weathers.  We  had  new  sails,  and  there 
were  no  double  topsails  in  those  days.  I  well  remember  being 
up  with  others  on  the  topsail  yard  for  hours  as  we  vainly 


THE  EARLY  YEARS  AND  THE  CALL   n 

tried  to  handle  a  new  sail  frozen  and  stiff  until  it  was  almost 
as  hard  as  a  board,  as  we  tried  to  reef  it  in  some  of  the 
fierce  gales  that  were  blowing.  If  anything  would  have 
disgusted  a  lad  with  the  sea,  that  voyage  from  London  to 
Cork  would  certainly  have  done  so.  At  Queenstown  we  took 
on  board  a  regiment  for  Corfu,  which  was  then  a  British 
protectorate.  From  Corfu  we  moved  another  regiment  to 
Malta,  and  whilst  in  that  part  I  saw  a  very  grand  sight. 
The  Mediterranean  fleet  were  all  assembled  there  under 
Admiral  Dundas,  who  had  his  flag  on  board  the  Britannia. 
They  were  waiting  for  orders  from  England,  and  whilst  we 
were  there  the  Admiral  received  instructions  to  take  up  a 
station  at  the  Dardanelles,  which  was  one  of  the  first  acts 
prior  to  the  declaration  of  the  Crimean  war.  I  think  there 
were  no  ironclads  in  those  days,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
sight  of  such  a  large  number  of  wooden  walls  of  England 
as  were  gathered  together  in  that  port. 

From  Malta  we  shifted  another  regiment  to  Gibraltar,  and 
then  took  on  board  the  26th  Cameronians  for  North  America. 
We  had  a  good  passage  across,  and  landed  all  in  safety  at 
Quebec.  On  the  day  on  which  the  troops  landed  there,  an 
event  took  place  which  I  believe  altered  the  whole  course  of 
my  life.  We  were  breaking  out  the  lower  hold,  to  get  some 
of  the  cargo  which  was  to  be  landed  with  the  troops.  I  was 
sent  up  from  the  'tween  decks  to  get  a  light,  and  whilst  I 
was  away  the  ladder  had  been  taken  away  from  the  chocks  of 
the  lower  deck,  and  stood  upon  one  of  the  hatches.  The 
consequence  was  that  as  soon  as  I  stepped  on  the  ladder 
it  slipped  away  at  the  bottom,  fell  down  the  hold,  and  carried 
me  with  it.  I  fortunately  fell  across  the  combings  of  the 
'tween-deck  hatch,  and  so  escaped  death ;  but  my  leg  was 
broken  in  two  places,  and  I  had  to  be  taken  ashore  at  once 
to  the  hospital.  The  vessel  sailed  without  me,  and  poor 

Captain  L ,  I  believe,  was  lost  on   his   next   voyage,  with 

all  hands.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  accident  at  Quebec,  I 
should  in  all  probability  have  been  amongst  the  number.  I 


12  GEORGE    BROWN 

lay  for  many  weeks  in  the  hospital,  and  I  shall  always 
remember  with  gratitude  the  care  and  attention  that  I 
received  there.  I  still  remember  making  an  impression  upon 
one  of  the  young  medical  students  which  I  am  sure  he 
remembered  for  a  long  time.  I  had  a  machine  fixed  to  my 
leg  to  draw  and  keep  the  bones  apart,  and  occasionally  one  of 
the  surgeons  had  to  tighten  this,  which,  of  course,  gave  me 
very  great  pain.  One  day,  however,  the  doctors  came,  ex- 
amined the  leg,  and  found  everything  satisfactory.  But  after 
they  left  one  of  the  students  decided  to  practise  a  little  on  his 
own  account,  and  took  hold  of  the  key  to  tighten  the  machine 
up  another  cog.  This  I  did  not  approve  of,  as  the  doctors 
had  not  themselves  ordered  it,  and  I  manifested  my  disapproval 
by  shooting  out  the  leg  that  was  well  full  into  the  young 
man's  stomach  with  such  force  that  he  was  nearly  sent  on 
to  a  bed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room.  He  turned  quite 
pale,  and  passed  on  after  the  staff";  and  I  noticed  afterwards 
that  he  generally  gave  my  bed  a  wide  berth.  He  most 
certainly  never  again  attempted  to  give  me  a  taste  of  the 
rack  ! 

I  felt  very  sad  indeed  when  I  left  the  Marine  Hospital  at 
Quebec.  1  decided  to  go  off  into  the  backwoods  if  I  could, 
and  my  first  stay  was  at  Montreal.  As  soon  as  I  got  there  I 
went,  of  course,  to  the  barracks,  to  see  the  men  whom  we  had 
brought  oyer.  They  were  delighted  to  meet  one  of  the 
Santipore  lads  again,  and  I  was  at  once  taken  into  the  barracks, 
and  kept  there  until  I  was  strong  enough  to  leave.  No  men 
could  have  been  kinder  than  these  men  were  to  me.  They 
shared  their  rations  with  me,  and  always  managed  to  find  a 
bed  for  me  somewhere  ;  and  though  my  being  there  was  quite 
against  the  rules,  the  officers  inspecting  at  night  seemed  always 
to  take  care  not  to  look  in  the  direction  where  I  was  placed. 
It  was  just  at  this  time  that  what  are  known  as  the  Gavazzi 
Riots  took  place.  Father  Gavazzi  had  been  preaching  against 
Romanism  in  Montreal,  and  this  had  caused  some  rioting. 
The  26th  had  been  called  out  to  suppress  the  rioters,  and  on 


THE    EARLY   YEARS   AND   THE    CALL      13 

one  occasion  the  Mayor  gave  orders  to  fire.  The  men  elevated 
their  muskets  as  far  as  possible  before  firing,  but  some  people 
on  the  top  of  the  hill  unfortunately  were  hit,  and  there  was 
much  bad  feeling  excited. 

After  leaving  Montreal  I  managed  to  work  my  way  up 
on  to  the  Lakes,  most  of  my  time  being  spent  on  the  deck 
of  a  cargo  steamer  called  the  Reindeer.  For  such  an  old  tub 
as  she  was  they  could  not  have  selected  a  more  inappropriate 
name.  I  have  a  very  distinct  recollection  of  sleeping  for 
many  nights  on  a  lot  of  nail  kegs  which  formed  part  of  the 
cargo  on  deck,  and  many  times  I  had  to  get  up  to  turn  over 
a  keg  from  which  the  nails  were  projecting.  However,  she 
carried  us  safely  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  through  the  canals, 
over  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie ;  and  finally  I  landed 
at  a  port  some  distance  from  New  London,  in  Ontario 
West.  Finding  my  way  to  New  London,  I  found  some 
relatives  there,  by  whom  I  was  kindly  received.  Mr. 

D and  his  wife,  who  was  my  mother's  eldest  sister,  had 

lived  there  for  some  time,  and  through  their  influence  I 
obtained  a  situation  in  a  large  general  store.  New  London 
at  that  time  was  a  very  small  place,  and  the  district  round 
was  most  of  it  still  in  a  state  of  nature.  The  farmers,  with 
whom  our  business  was  principally  done,  depended  on  the 
winter  months  for  getting  their  supplies  out  to  their  farms, 
for  there  were  few  made  roads  in  those  days,  and  it  was  only 
when  the  snow  had  levelled  up  the  ground  that  they  were 
able  to  get  their  goods  out.  During  my  stay  in  this  place 
I  had  one  very  narrow  escape,  and  learned  a  lesson  which  I 
think  I  have  never  forgotten.  In  the  store  in  which  I  was 

employed  there  was  another  young  man  called  Edwin  S , 

who  had  been  there  much  longer  than  I  had.  My  education, 
however,  was  somewhat  better  than  his,  and  I  was  rapidly 
advanced  to  occupy  positions  to  which  he  thought  himself 
fully  entitled.  In  addition  to  this  there  were  some  other 
reasons  which  made  him  very  angry  with  me.  The  conse- 
quence was  that,  like  foolish  young  men,  we  were  often 


H  GEORGE    BROWN 

quarrelling.  He  was  much  stronger  than  I  with  his  hands, 
but  I  had  the  advantage  over  him  when  it  came  to  the  use 
of  hard  words.  One  day  I  angered  him  so  much  that  he 
came  to  strike  me,  and  I,  in  a  furious  rage,  seized  hold  of  a 
large  knife,  and  threatened  to  kill  him.  A  few  days  after 
this  we  both  went  out  shooting  pigeons  one  morning  before 
breakfast,  and  were  in  a  lonely  place  about  six  miles  from 
the  town.  We  only  had  one  gun,  and  he,  after  firing  it,  gave 
it  to  me  to  shoot.  I  had  loaded  the  gun,  and  took  aim  at  a 
flock  of  pigeons,  but  thinking  they  were  out  of  range  I  dropped 
the  piece  across  my  elbow,  and  was  putting  the  hammer  down 
when  it  slipped  from  my  finger  and  exploded  the  charge, 
which  passed  within  a  few  inches  of  my  companion's  head. 
Had  he  been  killed  I  cannot  see  how  I  could  possibly  have 
escaped.  It  was  known  that  I  had  displaced  him  from  his 
position,  that  we  were  constantly  quarrelling,  that  I  had 
threatened  to  kill  him  only  a  day  or  two  before,  and  that 
a  boyish  love  affair  had  increased  the  bad  feeling  between 
us.  It  would  have  been  very  difficult  indeed  to  prove  that 
he  had  been  killed  accidentally.  We  were  both  very  much 
upset,  and  no  more  shooting  was  done  by  us  that  day. 

I  might  have  done  very  well  indeed  in  this  position. 
The  gentleman  I  was  with  pleaded  hard  with  me  to  stay 
with  him,  and  promised  that  if  I  would  remain  twelve  months 
he  would  set  me  up  in  business  in  the  rising  town  of  Goderich, 
on  Lake  Michigan  ;  but  I  felt  drawn  strongly  towards  England, 
and  finally  decided  to  return.  I  could  not  possibly  give  any 
good  reasons  then  for  that  wish,  but  I  have  done  so  many 
times  since  God  sent  me  to  the  Mission  field.  I  have  often 
•  felt  the  truth  of  Bushnell's  words,  that  every  man's  life  is  a 
plan  of  God,  and  I  feel  certain  that  He  brought  me  back 
from  Canada  to  carry  out  in  me  His  Own  loving  purposes. 

I  had  a  rough  experience  going  home.  When  I  reached 
Quebec  I  found  that  men  were  very  much  needed,  as  there 
were  many  ships  lying  there  whose  crews  had  deserted  them. 
I  thought  it  better,  therefore,  to  go  home  before  the  mast 


THE    EARLY  YEARS   AND   THE    CALL      15 

rather  than  pay  for  my  passage,  and  so  shipped  as  ordinary 
seaman  on  board  a  barque  called  the  Olive,  of  Gloucester.     I 
selected   this   vessel   because    I  thought  she  would    make  the 
longest  passage  of  any  vessel  in  port ;  and  as  the  wages  were 
good,  the  longer  the  passage  the  more  money  there  would  be 
to   draw.     However,  she   disappointed   us  all  in  that   respect, 
for  we  had   strong   westerly   gales  nearly  all  the  way  across 
the  Atlantic.     We  had  a  large  deck  cargo,  which  soon  shifted 
in   the  heavy  gales.     The  vessel   shipped   large   quantities   of 
water,  and  we  did  little  or  nothing  but  man  the  pumps  the 
whole  of  every  watch.     The  crew  consisted  of  a   set  of  the 
biggest   ruffians    I    have   ever   sailed   with.      They   were   what 
are  called  "runners,"  and   came  from    New  York   to   Quebec 
simply  to  get  ships  to  take  them  home.    Mine  was  the  only  chest 
in  the  forecastle ;  all  the  rest  had  what  is  commonly  known 
as  "  a  stocking  full "  of  clothes  each.     The  captain  was  armed, 
and   I   think  had  to  keep  his  cabin  door  secured  every  night. 
We  were  glad  enough  to  know  one  evening  that  the  captain 
expected  to  make  the  land  early  in  the  morning.     It  was  my 
morning    lookout  watch,   and   when    I    was   relieved    at   eight 
bells  (4  a.m.)  I   told  the  man  whose  watch  it   was  that   the 
orders  were  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  land.      He  appeared 
to  be  very  sleepy.     I  did  what  I  could  to  rouse  him  up,  but 
he  was  always  a  useless,  careless  fellow.     Going  to  my  berth, 
I    laid   down   without   undressing,  as    I    felt  restless,  and    my 
mind  was  very  busy  thinking  of  the  home  and  friends  I  had 
left  some  five  years  before.     In  about  an  hour  I  heard  a  great 
noise  on  deck,  and  all  hands  were  called.     I  was  one  of  the 
first  out,  and,  to  my  amazement  and  horror,  I  found  that  we 
were  almost  ashore  on  the  west  side  of  Lundy  Island  in  the 
Bristol  Channel.     Fortunately  for  us,  there  was  a  strong  ebb 
tide,  which  took  us  out  of  danger,  but  no  ship,  I  think,  ever 
had  a  narrower  escape.      There  is  a  good    lighthouse  on  the 
island,  but  we  had  run  almost  against  the  inaccessible  cliffs 
at  the  rate  of  about  six  knots  an  hour  against  a  strong  tide. 
In  a  few    minutes   longer  we   should   have   struck   the   rocks 


i6 

and  drifted  off  immediately  down  channel,  and  in  all  probability 
every  one  of  the  crew  would  have  been  drowned,  or  crushed 
to  death  by  the  floating  logs.  There  were  men  on  board 
who  had  lived  a  life-time  at  sea,  but  were  so  impressed  that 
morning  that,  with  a  sailor's  superstition,  they  refused  all 
offers  to  ship  again  in  any  vessel  bound  for  Bristol. 

I  was  glad  to  get  ashore,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  paid 
off  I  started  for  my  old  home  in  the  north.  I  could  not, 
however,  settle  down  in  England,  much  to  my  father's  sorrow. 
I  had  the  choice  of  several  situations,  either  in  one  of  my 
father's  offices,  or  in  other  establishments  to  which  I  could 
readily  have  gone  through  his  influence ;  but  I  felt  very  un- 
willing to  accept  any  of  them.  It  was  a  source  of  wonder 
to  many  why  I  persisted  in  my  wish  to  go  abroad  again, 
and  I  myself  could  at  that  time  give  no  satisfactory  reason 
for  it.  I  can,  however,  do  so  now,  as  I  firmly  believe  in  the 
guiding  hand  of  God.  He  had  something  for  me  to  do,  though 
I  knew  it  not,  and  He  was  leading  me  by  a  hand  which  I 
did  not  see.  I  decided  to  go  to  New  Zealand,  I  think  simply 
because  it  was  the  farthest  place  from  England.  I  would 
as  readily  have  decided  to  go  to  Central  Africa  if  there 
had  been  any  chance  of  getting  there.  My  father  at  last 
consented,  making  it  a  condition,  however,  that  I  should  go 
as  a  passenger  and  not  as  a  sailor. 

I  left  London  in  the  ship  Duke  oj  Portland,  in  March 
1855.  Amongst  our  passengers  were  Bishop  Selwyn,  of  New 
Zealand,  Rev.  J.  C.  Patteson,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Melanesia, 
and  Rev.  —  Carter,  another  of  Bishop  Selwyn's  clergymen. 
I  have  none  but  pleasant  memories  of  that  voyage,  though 
life  on  board  an  emigrant  ship,  especially  if  you  were  not  a 
saloon  passenger,  was  very  different  indeed  to  what  it  is  in 
these  days ;  but  I  was  young  then,  and  cared  little  for  what 
are  called  the  inconveniences  of  ship-life.  During  the  voyage 
I  joined  a  Bible  Class  conducted  by  Mr.  Patteson,  and  though 
I  cannot  remember  receiving  any  great  spiritual  benefit  at 
that  time,  I  have  always  been  thankful  to  God  that  I  was 


THE    EARLY  YEARS   AND   THE    CALL      17 

brought  into  such  close  connection  with  one  of  the  grandest 
and  best  men  I  have  ever  known.  Bishop  Selwyn  conducted 
a  class  for  learning  Maori,  which  1  also  joined,  and  some 
of  the  lessons  he  gave  us  then  in  the  proper  pronunciation 
of  native  names  I  have  never  forgotten. 

We  landed  in  Auckland,  and,  after  making  inquiries,  a 
young  companion  of  mine  and  I  started  for  Onehunga,  where 
I  was  told  my  uncle  and  aunt,  the  Rev.  T.  and  Mrs.  Buddie, 
were  living.  I  well  remember  one  incident  of  that  walk.  When 
I  was  leaving  England,  my  father  begged  of  me  to  give  up 
the  bad  habit  of  smoking,  which  I  had  contracted  at  sea.  I 
said  then  that  I  was  afraid  to  promise  to  do  so  on  the  voyage, 
but  that  I  would  do  my  best  if  spared  to  reach  New  Zealand. 
On  our  way  I  found  that  I  had  neglected  to  bring  tobacco,  etc.» 
on  shore.  I  purchased  some  as  we  were  going  up  the  street, 
and  smoked  as  we  went  along.  When  about  half-way  to  One- 
hunga I  was  going  to  smoke  again,  but  just  then  I  remembered 
the  promise  I  had  given  my  father,  and  I  threw  pipe  and 
tobacco  over  the  hedge,  and  decided  at  once  to  give  it  up. 

I  had  a  kind  and  loving  welcome  from  all  at  the  Parsonage, 
and  it  would  be  simply  impossible  for  me  to  state  all  that  I  owe 
to  the  good  man  and  his  loving  wife  who  took  such  an  interest 
as  they  did  in  the  friendless  lad  from  the  old  home.  I  soon 
found  a  situation  in  town,  but  the  home  at  Onehunga  was 
always  my  home.  Every  holiday  was  spent  there,  and  invariably 
I  stayed  there  from  Saturday  till  Monday  each  week.  The 
influence  of  that  Christian  home  caused  me  to  feel  that  there 
was  something  wanting  in  my  life,  and,  under  God,  I  attribute 
my  conversion  to  the  good  impressions  received  there.  I  was  • 
not  preached  to  except  by  the  powerful  influence  of  Christly 
lives.  Day  by  day  I  realised  more  and  more  that  there  were 
higher  things  than  I  had  dreamed  of,  that  the  life  I  had  lived 
was  very  far  from  that  which  I  ought  to  live.  I  realised  with 
a  great  sorrow  the  imperfections  and  sinfulness  of  my  life. 
Every  week  I  experienced  the  power  of  sermons  which  were 
never  spoken  or  preached  at  me.  In  a  short  time  I  felt  con- 

2 


i8  GEORGE    BROWN 

strained  to  meet  in  class.  My  first  class-leader  was  the  late 
Rev.  J.  H.  Fletcher,  afterwards  Principal  of  Newington  College, 
Stanmore,  but  then  Principal  and  Headmaster  of  Wesley  College, 
Auckland.  I  have  never  forgotten  some  of  our  meetings  in 
that  old  college.  The  class  was  composed  principally  of  young 
men,  and  I  have  never  met  with  any  man  better  qualified  to  deal 
with  young  men  than  my  old  leader,  whose  memory  I  revere 
and  love.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  now,  in  the  latter  years  of  my 
life,  to  think  of  those  days  in  Auckland  ;  and  I  often  wonder 
how  it  is  that  the  Church-life  of  to-day  seems  so  different  to 
what  it  was  then.  I  well  remember  some  years  ago,  in  Sydney, 
hearing  Mr.  Fletcher  say  that  he  had  never  known  such  prayer- 
meetings  and  such  week-night  meetings  as  were  held  in  the 
old  High  Street  Church  in  Auckland.  We  young  men  never 
dreamed  of  staying  away  from  the  Monday  prayer-meeting, 
and  the  large  schoolroom  at  the  back  of  the  church  was  always 
well  filled  with  an  earnest  and  devout  congregation.  Often, 
too,  the  congregation  at  the  week-night  service  was  almost  as 
large  as  that  which  gathered  in  the  big  church  on  the  Sunday. 
The  names  of  the  Revs.  R.  B.  Lyth,  John  Whiteley,  J.  H.  Fletcher, 
Alexander  Reid,  and  Isaac  Harding  are  always  associated  in 
my  mind  with  those  services,  which  I  so  valued  and  loved. 

I  cannot  call  to  mind  any  particular  day  on  which  I  first 
realised  the  pardoning  love  of  God.  I  had  long  experienced 
the  throbbings  of  a  new  life,  new  thoughts,  new  desires,  and 
a  new  purpose  in  life ;  and  at  some  special  services  held  in 
Auckland,  when  the  Rev.  J.  Whiteley  was  in  that  circuit,  I  fully 
realised  my  acceptance  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  determined  to  live  in  accordance  with  His  will,  and  to 
labour  for  His  sake,  that  some  might  be  the  better  for  my  life. 
I  became  associated  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  afterwards  became  a  local  preacher  in  the  Auckland  circuit. 
In  the  year  1859  the  Rev.  Isaac  Harding,  who  was  at  that  time 
the  superintendent  of  the  Auckland  circuit,  spoke  very  earnestly 
to  me  about  offering  for  the  regular  work  of  the  ministry. 
Living  as  I  was  in  the  family  of  one  of  the  old  New  Zealand 


THE    EARLY  YEARS   AND   THE    CALL      19 

missionaries,  and  being  associated  continually  with  one  of  the 
grandest  missionaries  that  God  ever  gave  to  our  Fiji  mission, 
the  Rev.  R.  B.  Lyth,  I  had  often  thought  of  devoting  my  life 
to  mission  work.  Mr.  Lyth  had  often  expressed  a  strong  desire 
that  I  should  go  to  Fiji  to  engage  in  the  work  which  he  loved 
so  well.  When  Mr.  Harding  spoke  to  me,  I  told  him  that  I 
was  willing  to  offer  myself  exclusively  for  foreign  mission  work, 
and  that,  if  accepted,  my  desire  was  to  go  to  Fiji. 

I  cannot  give  the  account  of  the  quarterly  meeting  at  which 
I  was  recommended  as  a  candidate  better  than  by  telling  the 
story  as  told  by  Mr.  Harding,  at  a  Sydney  conference  many 
years  afterwards,  when  I  had  returned  from  the  New  Britain 
mission.  He  said  at  that  meeting  :  "  Mr.  President,  I  claim 
the  privilege  of  saying  a  few  words  on  this  occasion  "  (the  annual 
missionary  meeting),  "  because  I  think  that  I  have  done  some- 
thing for  mission-work  in  my  lifetime.  I  well  remember  that 
many  years  ago  I  had  a  great  fight  with  a  quarterly  meeting 
in  another  colony.  My  work,  sir,  was  to  convince  that  quarterly 
meeting  that  my  young  friend,  sitting  over  in  the  corner  there  " 
(pointing  to  me)  "  was  fit  to  be  a  missionary.  They  said  he 
was  not :  I  said  he  was  ;  and  so  we  discussed  the  point.  I  only 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  recommendation  of  that  quarterly 
meeting  by  a  very  small  majority.  Mr.  President,  do  you  know 
what  was  the  objection  which  they  persistently  urged  against 
my  nomination  ?  They  had  no  objection  against  his  character, 
or  against  his  ability  as  a  preacher ;  but  I  will  give  you,  in 
their  own  words,  the  objection  which  they  persistently  urged. 
They  said  :  '  Mr.  Harding,  he  is  a  good  young  man,  but  he  is 
such  a  meek,  mild,  young  lady-like  person  that  we  are  sure 
he  has  no  spirit  whatever  that  would  make  a  missionary.  He 
is  utterly  devoid,  sir,  of  any  self-assertion,  and  we,  therefore, 
do  not  think  that  he  is  fit  for  the  mission-work.'"  I  need  not 
say  that  when  Father  Harding  gave  that  speech  there  was 
some  laughter  in  old  York  Street  Church ;  but  I  myself  have 
always  thought  that  the  members  of  the  Auckland  quarterly 
meeting  were  very  good  judges  of  character. 


20  GEORGE    BROWN 

I  was  accepted  at  the  conference  of  1860,  being  first  appointed 
to  Fiji,  as  I  wished  ;  but  this  was  changed  during  the  conference 
to  Samoa,  as  another  missionary  had  arrived  from  England, 
and  it  was  thought  better  that  he  should  go  on  by  the  first 
vessel,  whilst  I  could  wait  until  the  second  voyage  in  the  end 
of  the  year. 

As  soon  as  I  received  notice  in  Auckland  of  my  appointment 
I  began  to  make  preparations  for  my  work.  One  of  the  most 
important  was  that  of  securing  a  suitable  helpmeet  in  the 
great  work  to  which  I  was  appointed.  This  necessitated  a 
visit  to  the  mission-station  at  Waingaroa,  where  the  young 
lady  was  living  whom  I  had  long  thought  to  be  best  qualified 
for  that  position.  There  were  no  railways  or  coaches  in  that 
part  of  New  Zealand  in  those  days,  and  so  I  had  to  make  a 
long  journey  of  five  or  six  days  along  the  west  coast  before 
I  arrived  at  my  destination.  I  was  naturally  somewhat  anxious 
to  get  there,  and  on  the  last  day  I  pushed  ahead  as  long  as  I 
could,  and  arrived  on  the  shores  of  Waingaroa  harbour  some 
time  after  sunset.  There  was  no  boat  available,  and  the 
distance  was  certainly  too  far  for  any  one  to  attempt  to  swim  ; 
and  so  I  had  to  camp  down  on  the  sandy  beach  almost  in 
sight  of  the  mission-station.  My  poor  pony  shared  with  his 
rider  the  misery  of  nothing  to  eat.  The  mosquitoes,  however, 
evidently  considered  that  there  was  a  good  feed  for  them,  and 
in  order  to  disappoint  them  I  had  to  dig  with  my  hands  a 
deep  hole  in  the  sand,  put  my  saddle  in  it,  and  then  lie  down 
myself  and  cover  every  part  of  my  body  except  my  head  with 
sand,  whilst  the  poor  horse  stood  patiently  by  trying  to  eat 
the  tough  bush  which  grew  on  the  beach.  However,  the  longest 
night  passes,  and  at  early  dawn  I  managed  to  get  a  native 
canoe,  which  landed  me  at  the  mission-station.  Here  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  succeed  in  the  important  matter  for  which 
the  journey  was  made,  and  I  then  prepared  to  return  to 
Auckland,  intending  to  come  back  in  a  few  weeks  to  be  married. 
Just,  however,  as  I  was  strating,  a  native  messenger  came  from 
the  Rev.  T.  Buddie,  the  Chairman  of  the  District,  informing 


THE    EARLY   YEARS   AND   THE    CALL      21 

me  of  the  date  on  which  I  was  to  arrive  in  Sydney,  which 
was  much  earlier  than  we  had  expected.  It  was  very  clear 
that  there  was  no  time  to  return  to  Auckland,  and  so  pre- 
parations had  to  be  made  for  our  marriage  at  once. 

I  could  give,  I  think,  an  interesting  account  of  the  troubles 
I  had  to  get  a  licence  from  a  magistrate  living  in  a  wild,  out- 
of-the-way  place  in  the  bush,  and  in  inducing  a  gentleman,  who 
was  also  intending  to  be  married,  to  let  me  have  the  ring  which 
he  had  provided  for  his  own  expected  wife,  but  this  is  not  neces- 
sary. Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  on  August  2,  1860, 1  was  married 
to  Miss  S.  L.  Wallis,  the  second  daughter  of  the  veteran  mission- 
ary, the  Rev.  James  Wallis,  of  Waingaroa.  In  this  instance  the 
statement  that,  "  Whoso  findeth  a  wife,  findeth  a  good  thing, 
and  obtaineth  favour  of  the  Lord,"  received  a  good  illustration. 

Our  honeymoon  was  as  different  from  the  ordinary  one  in  these 
days,  in  some  respects,  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine.  We  had 
to  swim  two  horses  across  the  Waingaroa  harbour  the  evening 
before  we  started.  Then  on  the  next  morning  we  all  crossed 
in  canoes.  The  horses  were  saddled,  and  in  a  short  time  my 
dear  wife's  friends  said  good-bye  to  her  for  many  long  years, 
and  we,  accompanied  and  blessed  by  many  prayers,  began  our 
long  overland  journey  to  Auckland.  Our  party  consisted  of  a 
young  brother  of  my  wife  and  two  Maori  lads.  My  wife  rode 
one  horse,  and  the  other  one  carried  a  large  number  of  bundles, 
parcels,  and  boxes,  which  were  all  thought  to  be  absolutely 
necessary,  but  many  of  which  I  often  fervently  wished  had  been 
sunk  in  the  harbour  before  we  started. 

I  sometimes  think  I  could  write  a  book  about  that  journey. 
We  travelled  over  a  small  narrow  bush  track,  which  led  us 
along  the  sea  coast,  with  long  divergences  round  the  head  of 
some  immense  swamp  ;  and  then  again  through  some  portions 
of  dense  bush,  along  which  some  large  mobs  of  cattle  had 
been  driven  a  few  days  previously.  In  some  parts  of  this 
vile  road  the  mud  was  almost  up  to  our  knees,  especially 
where  some  great  root  crossed  the  track.  These  roots  were 
often  completely  hidden  from  us  by  the  mud,  and  only  became 


22  GEORGE    BROWN 

apparent  as  we  tripped  or  fell  over  them,  and  "  fetched  up  "  on 
our  hands  and  knees  in  a  deep  pool  of  liquid  mud.  We  had  to 
camp  out  to  leeward  of  a  flax  bush,  or  in  some  dirty  native 
house,  each  of  the  six  nights  we  took  on  the  journey  ;  and  I 
need  hardly  say  that  the  flax  bush  was  by  far  the  cleaner  and 
more  comfortable  place.  When  we  reached  Waikato  Heads  I 
got  a  canoe,  and  proceeded  to  swim  one  of  the  horses  across 
this  wide  deep-sea  harbour.  All  went  well  until  we  got  about 
half  way  across,  when  the  brute  refused  to  swim  another  stroke. 
I  had  her  head  up  on  the  canoe,  and  I  let  her  go  once  or  twice, 
just  that  she  might  experience  the  sensation  of  drowning  ;  but 
she  had  evidently  made  up  her  mind  to  drown  rather  than  to 
swim.  So  I  had  to  haul  her  head  on  board  again,  and  the 
natives  who  were  pulling  the  canoe  had  to  drag  her  all  the  rest 
of  the  way.  She  was  a  valuable  mare,  worth  in  those  days 
about  £100,  but  during  that  long  pull  I  often  wished  that  I  was 
a  rich  man,  and  could  have  let  her  go,  for  she  was  only 
shamming  after  all.  When  at  last  I  saw  the  bottom,  I  did  let 
her  go,  and  she  sank  very  quietly  until  her  feet  touched  the 
bottom,  when  she  decided  to  live  a  little  longer,  and  so  swam  to 
the  beach,  from  which  she  quietly  regarded  us  with  great 
satisfaction.  I  returned  to  the  other  side  in  the  canoe,  but  we 
decided  not  to  risk  the  other  horse.  So  when  we  had  all  crossed 
the  harbour  we  packed  the  impedimenta  on  the  one  horse,  and 
all  walked  the  rest  of  the  way. 

Our  last  night  out  on  the  west  coast  was  by  far  the  worst, 
as  a  very  furious  gale,  accompanied  with  heavy,  driving  rain, 
blew  down  our  little  shelter  tent,  and  drenched  us  most  pitilessly, 
long  before  daylight.  But  space  will  not  permit  my  telling  the 
whole  story  of  the  memorable  journey.  It  may  have  been  an 
appropriate  introduction  to  the  life  my  wife  and  I  were  to  live, 
but  it  was  certainly  not  a  pleasant  picnic,  when  considered  from 
one  side  only.  Going  and  returning,  however,  it  was  the  best 
journey  I  have  ever  made,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  I 
spent  in  the  canoe  at  Waikato  Heads,  I  was  happy  all  the  time. 
We  received  great  kindness  from  the  Maoris  along  the  way,  and, 


THE    EARLY   YEARS   AND   THE   CALL      23 

in  fact,  the  only  lack  of  hospitality  we  experienced  was  when 
we  took  shelter  in  an  old  deserted  Maori  whare,  and  were  at 
once  attacked  by  thousands  of  fleas,  that  absolutely  compelled 
us  to  stand  shivering  on  the  hill  top,  turning  our  backs'  to  the 
pitiless  driving  rain,  against  which  it  was  not  possible  to  proceed. 
However,  we  got  home  at  last,  and  were  received  most  lovingly 
at  Onehunga  by  those  who,  ever  since  my  arrival  at  New 
Zealand,  had  been  to  me,  not  uncle,  aunt,  and  cousins,  but 
father,  mother,  sisters,  and  brothers,  and  who  now  rejoiced  greatly 
that  the  sailor  lad  whom  they  had  received  so  kindly  some 
years  ago  had  been  called  to  the  work  in  which  their  own  life 
had  been  lived,  and  that  he  was  being  accompanied  to  his  life- 
work  by  the  daughter  of  one  of  their  oldest  friends  and  fellow- 
labourers. 

We  left  Auckland  in  the  steamer  Prince  Alfred,  on  Tuesday, 
September  4,  1860,  and  had  a  quick  (for  those  days)  though 
stormy  run  to  Sydney  of  five  days  and  five  hours.  I  had  been 
reading  the  beautiful  memoir  of  Richard  Williams,  one  of  the 
missionary  heroes  of  Captain  Allan  Gardiner's  unfortunate 
mission  to  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  had  laid  the  book  on  one  of  the 
skylights.  I  saw  a  gentleman,  Captain  Cellum,  take  it  up,  and 
read  a  little,  and  then  begin  to  speak  about  it  to  his  wife.  On 
my  offering  to  lend  him  the  book,  he  told  me  that  he  was  chief 
officer  of  the  Ocean  Queen,  the  vessel  which  conveyed  the  party 
to  Tierra  del  Fuego.  He  gave  us  a  very  interesting  account  of 
the  mission  band,  and  was  specially  loud  in  his  praise  of  Dr. 
Williams.  It  will  be  remembered  by  those  who  have  read  the 
pathetic  story  of  the  death  from  starvation  of  every  member  of 
the  party,  how  they  went  to  those  inhospitable  regions  with  an 
utterly  inadequate  supply  of  provisions,  depending  for  their 
subsistence  on  fish  which  they  were  not  able  to  catch,  and  on 
birds  which  they  had  no  ammunition  to  shoot.  Captain  Cellum 
asked  me  if  there  was  any  mention  in  the  book  of  the  loss  of 
their  powder,  and  was  much  distressed  when  I  told  him  how 
fatal  that  loss  had  proved.  He  told  me  that  when  the 
vessel  arrived  at  San  Francisco  he  was  breaking  out  stores  in 


24  GEORGE    BROWN 

one  of  the  stern  lockers,  and  to  his  surprise  and  dismay  he 
discovered  the  powder  which  ought  to  have  been  sent  ashore  at 
Tierra  del  Fuego.  I  have  always  regarded  the  memoir  of 
Richard  Williams  as  one  of  the  best  books  I  have  ever  read, 
and  have  wondered  how  we,  as  Methodists,  know  so  little  of 
one  of  the  holiest  and  most  devoted  missionaries  that  ever  went 
to  preach  to  the  heathen.  Dr.  Williams  was  a  medical  man, 
who  had  established  a  most  lucrative  practice  in  England.  He 
was  local  preacher  and  class-leader,  and  though  he  joined  the 
Mission  which  was  organised  by  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England,  he  remained  an  earnest  and  devoted  member  of  our 
Church  to  the  time  of  his  death.  His  memoir  ought  to  be  in 
every  Sunday  School  library. 

We  were  kindly  received  in  Sydney,  and  were  much 
encouraged  when  we  heard  ourselves  often  commended  to  God 
in  the  prayers  of  our  many  kind  friends.  I  was  ordained  by 
Revs.  J.  Eggleston  (president),  S.  Rabone,  S.  Ironside,  and 
T.  Adams,  in  the  York  Street  Church,  on  Wednesday,  September 
19;  and  on  the  following  Wednesday,  September  26,  we  sailed 
in  the  John  Wesley  for  our  appointment,  and  arrived  in  Tonga 
on  October  18.  The  brethren  there  told  me  that  they  had 
decided  to  keep  us  in  the  Friendly  Islands,  instead  of  going  to 
Samoa,  and  they  wished  me  to  consent  to  this  arrangement. 
I  told  them,  however,  that  I  could  do  nothing  to  interfere  with 
my  Conference  appointment,  and  that  if  they  thought  that  a 
change  should  be  made,  the  chairman  himself  must  take  the 
responsibility  of  making  it.  The  end  of  the  matter  was  that 
we  went  on  to  our  own  appointment,  and  arrived  at  Samoa  on 
October  30. 

It  may,  I  think,  be  interesting  in  these  days  of  steam  com- 
munication to  realise  how  different  the  conditions  were  in  those 
early  days.  The  captain  of  the  John  Wesley  would  not  approach 
the  Samoa  Islands  within  five  or  six  miles,  and  it  took  several 
hours'  hard  pulling  in  the  boats  after  the  vessel  had  been  sighted 
before  any  one  could  get  on  board.  In  our  case  Mr.  Dyson  did 
not  reach  the  vessel  until  nearly  dark,  and  then  we  and  all  our 


THE    EARLY   YEARS   AND   THE   CALL      25 

goods  and  chattels  were  put  into  the  boats  far  out  at  sea.  We 
did  not  reach  the  shore  until  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
after  the  crew  had  been  pulling  nearly  all  night  in  heavily  laden 
boats  and  having  had  to  come  through  a  passage  which  was 
very  seldom  smooth,  and  often  a  very  dangerous  one.  As  soon 
as  we  were  clear  of  the  ship,  the  vessel  was  on  her  way  back  to 
Tonga. 


SAMOA 


II 

SAMOA 

THE  first  Samoan  Methodists  of  whom  we  have  any  account 
were  some  natives  of  Savaii,  who  visited  Tonga  in  1828-9,  and 
during  their  stay  there  abandoned  heathenism  and  publicly 
professed  Christianity.  Many  other  Samoans,  who  in  those 
days  were  constantly  visiting  the  Friendly  Islands,  had  joined 
them  These  returned  to  their  own  land,  and  the  work 
gradually  spread,  until,  when  Rev.  P.  Turner,  the  first  Wesleyan 
minister  and  the  first  resident  white  missionary,  landed  there  in 
1835,  he  found  at  least  2,000  people  on  Savaii  and  Upolu  who 
were  professed  adherents  of  the  Methodist  Church.  On  his 
first  journey  this  number  was  increased  by  about  2,000  more 
people.  When  our  missionaries  were  compelled,  by  orders  from 
the  Missionary  Committee  in  London,  to  leave  the  group  in 
1839,  there  were  at  least  13,000  adherents,  of  whom  3,000  were 
Church  members,  with  6,000  adults  and  children  attending 
the  schools. 

I  do  not  think  it  necessary  here  to  enter  into  details  of  the 
dispute  (now,  I  trust,  amicably  settled)  between  the  Directors 
of  a  sister  Society  and  our  own  Australasian  Conference  with 
regard  to  the  resumption  of  our  Mission  in  1857.  Of  the 
justice  of  that  action  I  have  never  had  any  doubts,  though  I 
have  always  felt  that  the  question  as  to  whether  it  was 
expedient  to  resume  the  Mission  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years  might  at  one  time  have  been  fairly  questioned.  On 
calmly  considering  the  matter,  however,  when  far  away  from 
the  turmoil  of  controversy,  I  feel  constrained  to  say  that,  in  my 

29 


30  GEORGE    BROWN 

opinion,  the  action  taken  by  our  Conference  towards  our  own 
people  in  Samoa  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  benefit  to  the  sister 
Society.  The  Samoans  are  in  some  respects  a  fickle  race,  and 
are  easily  induced  under  some  feeling  of  irritation  or  annoyance 
to  take  a  certain  course  of  action  of  which  in  their  cooler 
moments  they  may  disapprove,  but  from  which  their  pride 
will  prevent  them  withdrawing.  The  different  sects  which 
have  taken  root  in  Samoa  abundantly  prove  that  it  was  not 
possible  for  any  one  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to  unite 
the  whole  people ;  and  the  greatest  hindrance  to  the  spread  of 
Roman  Catholicism,  Mormonism,  Seventh-Day  Adventism,  etc., 
in  Samoa  at  the  present  time,  is  the  fact  that  two  of  the  recog- 
nised Evangelical  Churches  are  in  the  group.  The  controversy, 
which  is  now,  I  repeat,  happily  ended,  was  to  us  who  were  in 
the  field  at  one  time  a  very  painful  one,  but  the  position  which 
I  took  up  was  that  I  was  sent  to  Samoa  by  the  Conference  to 
take  charge  of  our  people  in  that  group,  and  that  it  was  my 
duty  to  be  a  loyal  servant  to  the  Conference ;  and  this,  I  am 
thankful  to  say,  I  was  able  to  do  without  lessening  in  any  degree 
the  hearty  and  sincere  personal  friendship  which  existed  between 
the  missionaries  of  the  sister  Society  and  ourselves. 

My  Circuit  consisted  of  the  whole  of  the  large  island  of 
Savaii.  I  have  had  a  pretty  extensive  knowledge  of  the  Pacific, 
and  I  can  safely  say  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  boating  around 
the  Samoan  group  is  as  rough,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  as  in  any 
other  part ;  that  the  coast  contains  fewer  landing-places  to  the 
mile  than  any  of  the  islands  that  I  have  visited  ;  and  that  the 
openings  through  the  reef  are  the  most  dangerous  of  any  that 
I  have  ever  passed  through.  The  circumference  of  the  island, 
following  the  coast  line,  as  we  had  to  do,  is  between  200  and 
300  miles,  and  there  are  several  stretches  of  coast  from  20  to 
30  miles  in  length  on  which  no  landing  whatever  is  possible ;  so 
that  once  we  left  the  reef  for  the  open  sea  the  boat  was  all  that 
we  had  to  trust  to.  Each  visitation  of  my  Circuit  involved 
a  continuous  absence  from  home  of  from  five  to  six  weeks. 
Each  District  consists  of  a  number  of  villages,  to  each  of  which 


SAMOA  31 

a  teacher  is  appointed,  one  of  whom  is  in  the  position  of  cate- 
chist.  They  are,  in  fact,  small  Circuits,  of  which  the  catechist 
is  superintendent.  Once  a  year,  or  oftener  if  necessary,  these 
teachers  and  catechists  gather  to  meet  the  missionary,  either 
at  the  home  station  or  at  some  other  appointed  place,  for 
consultation  and  the  consideration  of  any  cases  of  discipline 
affecting  them  or  their  position.  At  another  time  a  large 
general  meeting  of  the  missionaries,  native  ministers,  catechists, 
and  teachers  of  both  Circuits  is  held,  at  which  meeting  cases 
of  discipline  and  matters  of  policy  and  administration  affecting 
the  district  as  a  whole  are  dealt  with. 

The  principal  work  in  which  I  was  engaged,  apart  from  my 
regular  ordinary  work,  was  that  of  training  the  most  promising 
of  our  young  men  in  a  large  school  at  Satupaitea,  where  I  lived. 
These  young  men  were  brought  from  all  the  different  sections 
of  the  Circuit,  and  were  educated  by  that  grand  old  native 
minister,  Barnabas  Ahogalu,  and  myself,  until  they  were  deemed 
advanced  enough  to  be  drafted  off  to  our  Training  Institution 
at  Lufilufi,  on  Upolu. 

It  may  be  owing  to  the  fact  that  Samoa  was  my  first 
mission  station,  or  that  I  was  received  with  such  kindness  by 
the  people,  that  I  have  always  considered  the  Samoans  to  be 
amongst  the  nicest  and  most  lovable  people  with  whom  I  have 
ever  lived.  I  may  say,  without  egotism,  that  I  was  very 
popular  with  the  people,  and  I  always  feel  very  thankful  that  I 
still  retain  their  confidence  and  love.  Amongst  the  causes  of 
my  kindly  treatment  by  the  Samoans  was  the  fact  that  I  readily 
acquired  sufficient  of  their  language  to  speak  and  preach  to 
them.  I  gave  myself  absolutely  to  the  task  of  learning  the 
language  ;  and  as  the  plans  I  adopted  may  be  of  some  use  to 
others,  I  will  give  them  briefly.  I  determined,  in  the  first 
instance,  never  to  speak  a  word  in  English  that  I  could  possibly 
speak  in  Samoan.  I  took  the  Samoan  Bible  and  committed  to 
memory  many  of  the  passages  with  which  I  was  most  familiar, 
and  repeated  them  aloud.  I  then  wrote  out  many  of  the 
prayers  and  petitions  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  joining 


32  GEORGE    BROWN 

them  together  with  suitable  conjunctions,  committed  them  to 
memory  as  far  as  possible,  and  used  them  in  public  services. 
Every  morning,  after  breakfast,  I  used  to  go  away  from  the 
house,  sit  down  on  the  side  of  the  road,  and  wait  until  some 
native  came  along,  who  was  certain  to  try  to  talk  to  me  ;  and 
I,  of  course,  had  to  do  my  best  to  talk  to  him  in  reply.  After 
a  short  experience  of  this  kind  I  took  the  further  step  of  going 
away  in  a  boat  for  several  days,  having  no  one  with  me  that 
could  speak  or  understand  a  single  word  of  English.  In  three 
weeks  I  conducted  prayer-meetings.  Then  I  took  the  pre- 
liminary service  when  Mr.  Dyson  preached,  and  on  the  eighth 
Sunday  I  took  the  whole  of  the  service,  and  began  my  regular 
work  amongst  the  people.  In  after  years  I  was  generally 
regarded,  both  by  Europeans  and  natives,  as  having  a  good 
knowledge  of  Samoan ;  but  I  can  safely  say  that  I  was  learning 
the  language  up  to  the  very  last  week  of  my  residence  amongst 
the  people.  The  more  a  man  knows  of  some  of  these  languages 
the  more  he  is  amazed  at  the  wealth  of  their  vocabulary  and 
of  the  numberless  niceties  of  expression  which  they  contain.  In 
Samoa,  as  is  well  known,  there  are  many  words  of  the  same 
meaning,  but  which  cannot  be  used  indiscriminately ;  and  the 
excellence  of  a  Samoan  speaker  is  in  knowing  which  word  to 
use  in  its  proper  place. 

But  politeness  is  specially  manifest  in  their  language ;  and  I 
have  always  maintained  that  the  Samoans  are  the  most  polite 
people  in  the  world,  in  their  language  and  in  their  manners 
and  customs.  The  essential  condition  of  polite  intercourse  in 
Samoa,  at  all  events,  is  that  a  man  shall  never  brag  or  boast 
about  himself,  and  that  he  shall  always  consider  the  man  or 
men  whom  he  is  addressing  as  entitled  to  the  utmost  respect- 
To  show  this,  he  always  uses  words  in  addressing  them  which 
he  would  never  dream  of  applying  to  himself.  Perhaps  I  can 
make  this  more  clear  by  giving  a  few  instances.  The  Samoan 
has  at  least  four  words  signifying  sickness,  or  to  be  ill,  namely, 
"  ma'i,"  which  is  the  common  word  ;  "  gasegase,"  which  is  the 
next  higher  ;  then  "  faatafa  "  ;  and  then  "  pulupulusi."  Now, 


SAMOA  33 

supposing  I  was  dispensing  medicine  to  the  highest  chief,  I 
should  ask,  "  What  is  your  illness  ? "  using  the  word  "  pulu- 
pulusi "  ;  but  he  would  never  dream  of  replying,  "  My  pulu- 
pulusi "  is  so-and-so.  He  would,  on  the  contrary,  use  the 
lowest  term,  and  would  say,  "  My  ma'i "  is  so-and-so.  Again, 
I  should  speak  of  the  wife  of  a  chief  of  rank  as  his  "  masiofo  " 
(queen)  or  as  "  le  tamaitai "  (lady) ;  but  if  he  were  speaking  of 
her  he  would  either  use  the  common  word  "  ava,"  or  would 
not  even  claim  a  personal  right  to  his  own  wife,  but  would 
speak  of  her  as  "  the  woman  of  our  family."  Once  more, 
the  ordinary  word  for  opinion  or  wish  is  "loto,"  but  the 
polite  word  is  "finagalo."  Supposing  the  speaker  were  asking 
the  person  addressed  what  was  his  opinion  or  wish  about  a 
matter,  he  would  say,  "  What  is  your  finagalo  ? "  But  the  man 
in  reply,  no  matter  how  high  his  rank,  would  simply  say,  "  My 
loto"  is  so-and-so. 

They  had  a  great  aversion  also  to  using  any  word  which 
they  thought  should  not  be  mentioned  in  polite  society  ;  and 
if  at  any  time  they  were  compelled  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
case  to  use  such  a  word,  they  would  always  preface  it  by  an 
apologetic  phrase,  "  vaeane,"  which  can  best  be  translated  by  the 
words,  "  saving  your  presence."  If,  for  instance,  a  native  were 
compelled  to  use  the  word  "  pig,"  he  would  before  doing  so 
say,  "  Saving  the  presence  of  the  gentlemen,  saving  the  presence 
of  the  ladies,  and  saving  the  presence  of  the  house  in  which 
we  are  assembled — pig  " ;  and  this  he  would  do  as  often  as  he 
was  compelled  to  use  the  obnoxious  word.  For  other  words 
which  it  was  thought  disrespectful  to  use,  words  of  entirely 
opposite  meaning  were  substituted — as,  for  instance,  firewood 
was  called  "  polata,"  meaning  a  banana-stem ;  and  such 
things  as  knife,  axe,  and  many  others  were  described  in  this 
manner. 

The  people  were  also  very  particular  on  points  of  etiquette. 
It  was  considered  very  bad  taste  to  extend  the  legs  when 
sitting  down,  to  pass  in  front  of  any  one  sitting,  or  to  walk  on 
the  footpath  in  front  of  the  chief's  house,  more  especially  if  any 

3 


34  GEORGE    BROWN 

visitors  were  sitting  in  it  A  carpenter  would  always  stop 
working  when  any  one  passed  the  house  or  canoe  on  which 
he  was  engaged ;  and  they,  in  their  turn,  would  diverge 
from  the  path,  with  some  complimentary  phrase  in  doing 
so.  Lighted  torches  were  not  allowed  to  be  carried  past  a 
chief's  house,  and  umbrellas  had  to  be  shut  on  similar  occasions. 
It  was  very  disrespectful  not  to  speak  to  those  who  were 
met  on  the  road,  and  complimentary  phrases  were  always 
exchanged  on  such  occasions.  I  could  easily  give  scores  of 
instances  illustrating  the  politeness  which  characterised  the 
Samoans,  even  in  the  older  days  prior  to  the  introduction  of 
Christianity ;  but  I  shall  have  to  leave  this  for  some  other 
time. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  my  wife  and  I  were  taken  to  our 
station  on  the  large  island  of  Savaii,  and  there  was  great  joy 
amongst  the  people  when  the  missionaries  for  whom  they  had 
pleaded  were  actually  located  among  them.  We  lived  for  some 
two  years  in  a  bamboo-house,  with  earthen  floors,  which,  though 
fairly  comfortable  in  fine  weather,  afforded  very  little  protection 
from  heavy  night  dews,  wind,  and  rain.  We  soon,  however, 
prepared  to  build  a  suitable  mission-house,  and  for  two  years, 
with  considerable  intervals  of  rest,  we  were  engaged  in  that 
work.  Coral  was  burnt  for  lime  in  immense  ovens  ;  stones  and 
coral  collected  ;  large  trees  cut  down  far  inland  and  dragged 
to  the  beach  to  be  sawn  into  beams  and  rafters,  or  used  as 
firewood  for  the  ovens.  The  whole  of  this  work  was  done  by 
the  natives  without  any  monetary  consideration.  My  part  was 
to  make  the  frames  in  which  the  concrete  was  afterwards  put, 
to  fix  and  plumb  them  in  position,  and  generally  to  superintend 
the  whole  of  the  operations.  I  have  had  a  fair  experience  of 
hard  work  ;  but  I  certainly  never  worked  harder  than  I  did 
during  the  building  of  that  large  house,  and  it  was  a  great  joy 
to  me  when  the  work  was  accomplished. 

I  have  described  these  people  as  being  kind,  lovable,  and 
polite  in  their  intercourse  with  each  other ;  but  they  were 
extremely  sensitive  to  what  was  considered  to  be  an  insult, 


SAMOA  35 

and  were  quick  to  resent  it  A  proverb  often  used  by  them 
will  illustrate  this :  "  Stones  decay,  but  words  never  decay," 
meaning,  of  course,  that  an  insult  is  never  forgotten  ;  and  it 
may  be  safely  said  that  most  of  the  wars  which  were  carried 
on  for  generations  between  contending  districts  had  their  origin 
in  some  word  or  act  which  was  considered  to  be  an  insult  by 
one  of  the  parties  concerned. 

When  I  began  my  work  in  Samoa  most  of  the  people 
were  professing  Christians,  though  with  many  of  our  people 
in  the  outlying  parts  of  Savaii  this  was  only  a  profession, 
and  heathen  practices  and  dances  were  still  carried  on  by 
them.  An  old  chief  at  Salelavalu,  and  several  of  his  family, 
were  the  only  professed  heathens  on  Savaii.  I  tried  hard 
to  induce  the  old  man  to  unite  himself  with  us,  but  without 
effect.  He  called  himself  "the  king  of  hell,"  and  was  de- 
termined to  die  as  he  had  lived.  He  still  maintained  in  his 
village  a  sacred  tree,  which  was  the  only  remaining  "  heathen 
temple  "  in  Samoa. 

The  record  of  fifteen  years'  continuous  life  amongst  these 
people  is  full  of  interest  to  me  as  I  recall  the  many  boat 
journeys  around  that  rough,  iron-bound  coast ;  the  exciting  times 
we  had  in  entering  the  dangerous  passages  which  afforded  the 
only  chance  of  gaining  the  shore ;  the  joys  and  sorrows  of 
mission-life ;  the  days  of  glad  exultation  when  all  seemed 
prosperous ;  and  the  times  of  depression  we  had  when  we 
seemed  to  be  labouring  in  vain.  These,  however,  cannot  be 
given  in  detail  here,  and  I  can  only  select  a  few  incidents  and 
illustrations  of  our  life  and  work. 

Soon  after  our  house  was  finished  we  experienced  our  first 
hurricane,  which  began  on  Thursday,  January  26,  1865,  with 
a  very  heavy  gale  from  the  north-east,  and  with  certain  in- 
dications which  the  natives  told  us  were  the  precursors  of  a 
hurricane.  We  began  at  once  to  make  preparations  for  it  by 
strengthening  the  roof  of  our  house.  On  Friday  the  gale 
increased,  and  all  exposed  doors  and  windows  had  to  be  pro- 
tected. On  Saturday  we  had  to  lash  down  the  roof  and  thatch 


36  GEORGE    BROWN 

with  all  the  ropes  we  could  muster,  and  then  the  school-boys 
came  and  covered  the  whole  of  the  thatch  with  heavy  nut-leaves. 
I  think  one  of  the  most  awe-inspiring  feelings  during  a  hurricane 
is  caused  by  the  fearful  roar  made  by  the  wind,  and  it  is  not 
at  all  difficult  to  understand  how  people  have  often  described 
it  as  the  fancied  roar  of  baffled  fiends.  When  the  wind  was 
at  its  height  the  bread-fruit  trees  were  falling  in  all  directions. 
One  fell  about  a  yard  from  one  of  our  windows.  The  nut-leaves 
were  torn  off  and  blown  about  like  small  branches.  The  tide 
was  lashed  into  fury  by  the  wind,  and  broke  over  the  path, 
and  in  through  our  garden  gate  ;  and  so  great  was  the  noise 
caused  by  the  storm  that  we  never  heard  the  fall  of  an  immense 
tree  just  behind  the  house.  We  were,  of  course,  very  anxious 
indeed  as  to  whether  our  house  would  stand  or  not ;  but  we 
soon  found  that  we  had  no  cause  for  fear.  About  9  p.m.  the 
wind  suddenly  dropped,  and  the  natives  immediately  predicted 
a  change ;  and  they  were  right.  In  a  few  minutes  it  began  to 
blow  in  heavy  puffs  from  the  south-west,  just  the  opposite 
quarter  from  that  in  which  it  commenced,  and  it  continued  to 
blow  very  heavily  all  the  night.  One  of  our  neighbours  did 
a  very  brave  action.  There  was  an  immense  cocoanut  palm 
some  eighty  feet  high  at  the  back  of  our  house,  which  we  all 
feared  might  at  any  moment  fall  on  to  the  building ;  but  after 
the  change  of  wind  it  was  quite  impossible  to  cut  it  down 
with  safety.  After  several  schemes  had  been  discussed  and 
abandoned,  I  saw  one  of  the  men  take  a  large  knife  in  his 
hand  and  deliberately  begin  to  climb  the  tree,  which  was 
bending  and  swaying  violently  with  the  force  of  the  gale.  He 
managed,  however,  to  reach  the  top,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had 
cut  away  the  heavy  leaves  and  nuts,  and  so  removed  the  only 
cause  of  danger.  It  was  a  daring  feat,  and  we  were  glad  when 
he  was  safely  down  again.  The  hurricane  was  also  severely 
felt  in  other  parts  of  the  group  ;  and  in  the  harbour  of  Apia 
a  large  vessel,  called  the  Alster,  was  driven  from  her  moorings, 
and  twelve  men  and  the  captain  were  drowned,  only  one  man 
escaping  of  the  whole  crew. 


SAMOA  37 

One  very  important  part  of  my  work  was  the  visitation  of 
the  outlying  parts  of  my  large  Circuit,  and  this  I  did  regularly 
at  least  twice  a  year.  These  visits  occupied  from  five  to  six 
or  seven  weeks,  more  especially  those  on  which  the  schools 
were  examined  and  the  missionary  meetings  held.  We  always 
impressed  upon  the  people  the  duty  of  contributing  not  only 
to  the  expenses  of  their  own  District,  but  also  to  the  fund 
for  extending  our  Missions  to  the  heathen  world.  Most  of 
the  speakers  at  the  missionary  meetings  urged  this  latter  duty 
and  privilege  upon  their  hearers,  and  many  good  collection 
speeches  were  made.  Certainly  they  would  not  sound  very 
grand  if  translated,  but  they  were  first-class  Samoan,  and 
garnished  with  as  many  classical  allusions  as  any  one  could 
wish,  however  great  his  taste  was  for  those  things  ;  but  he  would 
first  have  to  study  Samoan  classics,  and  then  he  would  find 
many  a  tale  quite  as  absurd,  and  with  quite  as  much  truth  in 
it,  as  any  of  those  which  amused  or  frightened  the  good  folk 
of  days  gone  by.  I  will  give  a  few  examples  which,  though 
very  much  condensed,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  speeches 
made,  and  also  of  Samoan  oratory  and  modes  of  thought. 

The  unpardonable  sin  in  Samoa  was  to  be  mean  and  stingy, 
especially  as  regards  the  distribution  or  sharing  of  food.  A 
teacher  at  one  of  our  meetings  used  this  fact  with  good  effect. 
He  told  a  story  of  an  old  couple  in  an  adjoining  village, 
who  in  a  time  of  scarcity  had  got  possession  of  a  nice  piece 
of  tasty  shark  (rather  "  gamy,"  I  expect).  This  they  naturally 
wished  to  keep  for  themselves,  and  so  went  and  hid  themselves, 
that  they  might  eat  it  in  peace.  An  old  man,  however,  got 
scent  of  it — perhaps  he  was  to  leeward,  in  which  case  his 
olfactory  nerve  would  acquaint  him  with  the  fact  that  there 
was  shark  in  the  neighbourhood.  However,  to  smell  it  was 
with  him  to  desire  it,  and  so  he  set  off  to  get  a  piece  to  keep 
his  teeth  in  working  order.  The  old  pair,  however,  who  had 
got  the  prize  remained  hid,  would  not  answer  to  his  call,  and  ate 
their  shark  alone.  The  teacher,  in  applying  his  story,  likened 
the  people  of  the  two  societies  in  Samoa  to  the  old  couple  ; 


219656 


38  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  shark  was  likened  to  the  Word  of  God,  which  they  possessed 
in  Samoa,  and  the  blessings  resulting  from  it  ;  the  old  man 
was  likened  to  those  heathen  lands  which  have  heard  of  the 
good  things  which  they  enjoyed  in  Samoa,  and  wanted  to  share 
in  them.  But  if  they  gave  no  collection  to  help  and  send  the 
Gospel  to  other  lands,  they  were  like  the  old  couple  who  ate 
their  piece  of  shark  alone,  and  would  not  share  it  with  the  old 
man  who  wished  to  taste  it  also. 

Another  speaker,  in  his  exhortation  not  to  give  small  pieces 
of  silver  and  keep  the  large  ones,  told  a  story  of  an  old  woman 
who  was  sick.  The  teacher  went  to  visit  her.  Just  then  a 
boy  of  the  family  came  in  with  a  basketful  of  nuts,  and  so 
the  old  lady  felt  compelled  to  give  the  teacher  one  to  drink. 
The  first  one  she  took  up  was  a  nice  nut,  "  niu  muamua "  (a 
nut  with  the  kernel  just  formed).  However,  she  begrudged 
that,  or  wished  it  for  herself ;  so  she  said  :  "  Ah  !  that's  a  bad 
nut;  mustn't  give  a  bad  nut  to  the  man  of  God."  Then  she 
took  up  another  equally  good.  "  Ah,"  she  said,  "  niu  sami 
again ;  that  won't  do  for  the  man  of  God."  So  she  tried 
again,  and  that  time  got  an  old  nut  in  reality.  "  Ah,"  she 
said,  "  this  is  a  nice  young  nut  ;  this  will  do  for  the  servant  of 
the  Lord."  So  the  poor  teacher  only  got  the  old  nut.  He, 
however,  knew  a  good  nut  as  well  as  the  old  lady,  and  told 
her  so. 

This  tale  told  well ;  and  the  burthen  of  many  of  the 
speeches  following  was  :  Don't  pass  by  the  niu  muamua  (good 
nuts,  i.e.  dollars)  and  give  niu  sami  (old  nuts,  i.e.  dimes).  So 
when  a  man  threw  in  a  dollar  so  as  nearly  to  smash  the 
plate,  "  Ah,"  they  said,  "  that's  a  niu  muamua." 

Another  man  in  speaking  of  the  necessity  of  individual 
effort  said  :  "  I  will  tell  you  a  story  I  have  heard  about  a 
wreck  that  took  place  in  Papalagi  (white  man's  land).  There 
was  a  large  vessel  wrecked  on  a  bluff,  rocky  coast.  She  was 
wrecked  at  night,  and  no  one  could  render  her  any  help.  In 
the  morning  when  the  people  of  the  town  assembled,  the  sea 
was  covered  with  the  wreckage ;  but  there  was  no  trace  of 


SAMOA  39 

any  of  the  crew,  and  the  rocks  were  so  steep  that  no  man 
unaided  could  possibly  get  up  them.  The  people  of  the  town 
met  together  to  talk  over  the  matter,  and  they  agreed  to  go 
and  look  for  any  of  the  crew  who  might  have  got  on  shore 
in  any  way.  On  this  being  decided,  some  of  the  foolish  people 
began  to  run  off.  Just  then,  one  wise  old  man  cried  out : 
'  Stop  !  hear  what  I  have  to  say.  It  is  good  what  you  propose, 
that  we  should  go  and  look  for  those  poor  men  and  try  to 
help  them,  but  just  consider  what  good  you  can  possibly  do 
if  you  go  without  anything.  My  plan  is,  let  every  man  go 
and  fetch  a  rope,  the  strongest  and  best  he  has  got,  and  then 
it  will  be  some  use  our  trying  ;  but  without  ropes  we  can  do 
no  good,  for  the  rocks  are  high  and  there  is  no  path  down.' 
This  plan  was  approved  by  all,  and  soon  every  man  had  his 
rope  hanging  down  over  different  parts  of  the  cliff,  just  as  if 
they  were  fishing.  When  a  man  felt  nothing  at  one  spot  he 
let  it  down  at  another.  At  length  one  man  thought  he  felt  a 
tug  at  his  rope  just  as  if  a  fish  had  got  hold  of  it.  He  waited 
to  make  sure ;  and  the  second  time  there  was  such  a  tug 
that  he  could  not  mistake.  So  he  shouted  for  help,  and  men 
came  and  all  pulled  away  until  they  landed  a  poor  half-dead 
man  safely  on  the  top  of  the  cliffs.  And  then  they  all 
rejoiced  greatly.  Now,  that  is  the  story.  Listen,  and  I  will 
apply  it.  I  liken  that  poor  shipwrecked  man  at  the  bottom  of 
the  cliffs  to  the  heathen  around  us.  There  are  plenty  of 
islands  in  these  seas,  and  in  Fiji,  where  the  people  want  the 
light  but  cannot  get  it.  They  are  crying  for  help  ;  they  want 
life,  but  they  cannot  scale  the  rocks  themselves.  I  liken  those 
men  who  are  running  about  without  ropes  to  many  of  our  people 
here  in  this  land.  They  say  they  have  great  love  to  the 
heathen,  but  their  love  is  all  in  their  mouths,  and  talk  won't 
draw  the  man  up;  we  want  ropes.  I  liken  those  who  got 
the  ropes  and  went  fishing  for  the  men  to  those  who  love  in 
deed  and  in  truth — who  not  only  say  they  love  the  heathen, 
but  give  their  money,  and  do  all  they  can  to  help  God's 
work  and  save  souls  from  death.  Now  listen  again.  We 


40  GEORGE    BROWN 

cannot  all  go  to  foreign  lands,  but  we  can  all  find  ropes 
(contribute  to  the  Mission  work).  Take  care  that  your  ropes 
are  good  and  strong — ropes  that  won't  break,  and  then  God 
will  bless  us,  and  many,  very  many,  will  be  saved." 

It  would  be  quite  easy  to  give  other  instances  of  the  really 
excellent  addresses  I  have  heard,  but  I  must  limit  myself  to 
one  more  speech,  which  was  delivered  by  dear  old  Barnabas 
Ahogalu,  one  of  the  grandest  men  I  have  ever  known,  and 
one  of  the  most  devoted  workers  I  have  met  with.  At  one  of 
our  missionary  meetings  he  had  been  reminding  his  hearers  of 
the  blessings  they  had  received  from  Christianity,  and  of  the 
absolute  necessity  of  their  doing  their  part  to  spread  abroad 
the  knowledge  of  Christ's  love  to  all.  He  finished  as  follows  : 
"  And  now,  ye  people  of  Manono,  and  you  our  visitors,  listen, 
and  I'll  tell  you  of  a  circumstance  which  happened  in  my 
own  family.  I  have  a  daughter,  and  some  time  ago  she  came 
on  a  visit  to  my  house.  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  my 
daughter  except  this,  that  she  is  a  very  sleepy  woman,  and 
has  a  baby  who  is  very  cross  and  often  cries,  especially  at 
night.  Well,  so  it  was  that  night  after  night  this  baby  cried, 
and  the  mother's  mind  was  distracted  with  two  contending 
wishes :  she  had  love  for  her  child,  and  didn't  like  to  hear  it 
cry,  but  her  own  desire  for  sleep  was  also  very  great  indeed. 
So  she  would  just  sit  up  for  awhile  and  try  to  sing,  or  rather 
mumble  out,  a  song  of  which  the  burden  was  :  '  Oh,  my  child, 
alas,  my  child — oh,  my  child,  alas,  my  child ' ;  and  then  down 
she  would  go  again  and  try  to  sleep.  But  again  would  that 
contrary  child  cry ;  and  again  would  we  hear  the  same  old 
song,  and  the  same  old  tune  :  '  Oh,  my  child,  alas,  my  child ' ; 
and  then  she  would  snore  again.  And  so  it  went  on  night  after 
night,  until  at  length  my  mind  was  grieved,  and  I  determined  to 
talk  about  it.  At  night  the  child  again  cried,  and  again  we  heard 
her  commence  the  same  old  drone  ;  but  she  didn't  sleep  quite 
so  soon  again  that  time,  for  I  cried  out  to  her :  '  Oh,  woman,  do 
have  some  love  towards  us,  and  try  another  tune  and  another 
song.  Do  you  think  your  child's  a  fool,  to  be  made  quiet  by 


SAMOA  41 

such  a  miserable  ditty  as  you  are  singing  ?  It  only  makes 
him  cry  more.  Try  another  tune,  woman,  if  you  have  any 
love  for  your  child,  or  any  thought  for  us,  who  also  wish  to 
sleep.'  She  was  startled,  and  kept  silence  for  awhile,  and  I 
thought :  '  Now  is  she  cross  because  I  have  scolded  her  ? ' 
But  it  was  not  so,  for  in  a  little  time  she  sang  a  nice  cheerful 
song,  and  patted  her  child  on  the  back,  and  spoke  lovingly  to 
it,  and  the  consequence  was  that  we  slept  in  peace.  That's 
my  tale ;  now  listen  to  the  application.  You  see  my  daughter 
only  wanted  awakening,  and  then  she  loved  her  child  and 
supplied  its  wants  ;  and  in  the  same  manner  I  wish  to  awaken 
you  to-day.  I  liken  you  Manono  people  to  that  mother,  and  I 
say  that  the  work  of  God,  and  especially  the  Mission  work, 
is  your  child,  given  to  you  to  tend  and  love.  We  who  labour 
in  that  work  are  also  your  children,  and  we  cry  to  you — we 
cry  to  tell  you  of  our  pain,  we  cry  to  tell  you  of  perishing 
souls,  we  cry  to  tell  you  that  we  want  help  ;  and  we  cannot 
give  up  until  you  awake  and  answer  us.  And  how  have  you 
answered  us  ?  Tell  me !  How  have  you  answered  us  ?  Why, 
lately  you  have  answered  our  cry  with  a  miserable  tune  that 
you  have  sung  with  closed  eyes  and  nodding  heads  :  '  Oh,  my 
child,  alas,  my  child ' !  as  if  that  would  make  us  quiet.  I 
know  you  excuse  yourselves  with  the  war,  but  that  won't  do 
now ;  the  fact  is,  you  must  sing  another  song.  We  must 
have  better  collections.  Nothing  short  of  a  hundred  dollars 
(£20)  from  this  chapel  to-day  will  satisfy  us  ;  you've  tried 
a  fifty-dollar  tune,  and  that  didn't  do  ;  now  try  a  hundred- 
dollar  tune,  and  if  it  doesn't  stop  us  altogether  we  will  at  all 
events  be  quiet  for  the  present.  But  I  tell  you  again,  'tis 
no  use  trying  again  that  miserable  song :  '  Oh,  my  child, 
alas,  my  child  ' !  for  it  will  do  no  good  at  all.  We  will  still 
cry  on." 

This  speech,  to  which  no  translation  can  do  justice,  was 
well  received,  and  Manono  sang  another  song  that  day, 
and  instead  of  £10  i^s.  given  the  previous  year,  they  put 
£22  igs.  into  the  plate  when  "the  collection  was  made." 


42  GEORGE    BROWN 

I  have  repeatedly  said  that  the  Samoans  were,  at  all  events 
in  my  time,  a  very  kind  and  lovable  people  ;  but  it  is  equally 
correct  to  say  that  they  were  a  people  quick  to  resent  an  insult 
or  injury,  and  quite  ready  to  fight  with  their  neighbours  for  what 
we  would  think  most  trivial  causes.  Some  six  years  after  my 
landing  I  was  on  a  long  journey  round  the  island,  and  had  arrived 
within  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  of  home  when  I  received  a  letter 
from  our  native  minister  Barnabas  to  inform  me  that  Satupaitea 
and  Tufu  were  fighting,  and  that  a  man  from  the  latter  district 
had  been  killed.  He  said  "  The  devil  is  aroused  at  last,  that  Satu- 
paitea has  been  awaking  so  long."  This  note  quite  upset  all  the 
plans  I  had  made  to  visit  Upolu;  and  leaving  my  boat's  crew 
behind,  for  fear  they  also  should  be  implicated  in  the  quarrel,  I 
started  at  once,  accompanied  by  a  few  teachers,  for  a  long 
and  rough  walk  through  the  bush. 

We  arrived  at  Satupaitea  some  time  after  dark.  The  town 
seemed  deserted,  all  the  men  being  away  at  the  boundary  (the 
usual  fighting  place),  whilst  the  women  and  children  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  teacher's  house.  We  found  that  two  men  were 
killed  and  several  others  severely  wounded.  Next  day,  Thurs- 
day, July  i8,  1866,  after  dressing  some  frightful  wounds,  I 
started  for  Tufu  to  visit  the  chiefs  of  the  opposite  party.  We 
sat  on  the  ground  outside  the  house,  according  to  Samoan 
custom  in  such  cases.  In  a  few  minutes  they  all  assembled,  and 
we  had  a  long  speech  from  one  of  the  rulers  about  the  grievances 
of  his  party.  We  replied,  and  urged  them  very  earnestly  to 
make  peace ;  but  in  vain.  The  next  few  weeks  were  spent 
by  both  parties  in  holding  meetings  and  preparing  to  fight, 
but  the  general  opinion  was  that  an  amicable  arrangement 
would  be  made.  On  September  11,  however,  we  received  infor- 
mation that  the  Tufu  people  intended  to  attack  our  people  the 
following  morning.  I  had  a  consultation  with  the  native  minister 
and  teachers,  and  we  decided  to  start  to  the  boundary  at 
midnight,  in  the  hope  that  we  might  yet  induce  the  opposite 
party  to  return.  After  a  long  and  weary  wait  in  the  bush  by 
our  fires  the  day  dawned,  and  the  teachers  and  Church  members 


A    SAMOAN    LADY    OF    RANK    WEARING    THE    TUINGA,    AN    ORNAMENTED    HEAD- 
DRESS   MADE    OF    HUMAN    HAIR. 


SAMOA  43 

from  Tufu  joined  us  to  help  us  in  our  endeavours  to  make  peace. 
Soon  after  this  we  saw  the  vanguard  of  the  Tufu  troops.  I  im- 
mediately sat  down  on  the  ground,  surrounded  by  the  teachers 
and  Church  members,  and  quietly  awaited  their  approach.  In 
doing  this  I  took  advantage  of  their  customs,  and  of  the  respect 
which  they  had  for  me  as  their  missionary.  Samoans  are  very 
punctilious  about  many  things ;  and  though  we  only  stopped  the 
footpath,  and  they  could  easily  have  passed  us  by  going  a  few 
yards  into  the  bush,  not  one  of  them  attempted  to  do  so.  They 
were  afraid,  in  fact,  that  they  would  be  unfortunate  (malaia) 
if  they  passed  by,  or,  as  they  would  say,  "  trampled  upon  "  those 
who  were  trying  to  make  peace.  On  they  came,  a  band  of  stal- 
wart fellows,  almost  naked,  brandishing  their  guns,  spears,  and 
clubs,  leaping  and  shouting,  to  the  place  where  we  were  sitting. 
Their  bodies  were  smeared  with  oil,  their  hair  dressed  with 
scarlet  flowers,  and  their  foreheads  bound  with  frontlets  made  of 
the  bright  inner  shell  of  the  nautilus.  It  was  difficult  to  recog- 
nise the  features  of  those  with  whom  we  were  acquainted,  as 
every  one  had  tried  to  make  himself  look  as  hideous  as  possible. 
The  chief  led  the  way,  dancing  up  to  us,  and  shouting  :  "  What 
is  that  for  ?  "  "  Why  are  you  sitting  there  ?  "  "  Why  do  you 
stop  us  ?  "  He  soon  settled  down,  however,  and  after  a  few  more 
leaps,  and  throwing  his  hatchet  in  the  air  several  times,  to  exhibit 
his  skill,  he  sat  down.  His  troop  followed  his  example,  and 
then  talking  commenced.  We  tried  to  convince  them  of  the  folly 
and  sin  of  fighting — reminded  them  of  our  Lord's  words,  that 
they  who  forgive  not  shall  not  be  forgiven,  and  did  all  we  could 
to  make  peace.  The  chief  answered,  and  tried  to  get  us  to  rise 
and  retire  back  to  the  place  where  the  people  from  another  part 
were  sitting,  that  we  might  deliberate  together.  This,  however, 
we  refused  to  do,  as  we  knew  that  if  we  once  rose  to  our  feet 
they  would  rush  past  us  at  once,  as  they  were  only  afraid  to 
pass  the  "  taofiga,"  or  peace-makers  (literally,  "  the  holders  back  ") 
whilst  they  were  sitting.  Our  object  was  to  keep  them  there 
until  the  arrival  of  the  ruling  town  of  Safotulafai,  as  we 
quite  expected  that  Falefa  would  yield  to  them ;  and  this  we 


44  GEORGE    BROWN 

succeeded  in  doing.  We  were  wearied  out  with  sitting  in  the  hot 
sun,  with  scarcely  any  shade,  and  after  the  arrival  of  Safotulafai 
I  went  down  into  the  village.  After  many  speeches,  all  met 
together,  and  were  discussing  the  matter  preparatory  to  making 
peace,  when  news  came  that  the  outlying  pickets  had  met, 
and  that  two  of  the  Satupaitea  men  were  killed.  We  heard  this 
just  before  sunset.  I  hurried  up,  and  found  that  it  was  too  true. 
All  talking  was  at  once  given  up,  for  it  was  felt  that  any  attempts 
at  mediation  just  then  would  be  quite  useless.  Satupaitea 
people  determined  at  once  to  start  and  bring  in  the  bodies,  but 
were  at  last  prevailed  upon  to  allow  men  from  a  neutral 
village  to  go.  They  were  at  first  refused,  but  a  second 
application  was  made  by  another  party,  and  they  returned 
with  the  two  heads,  the  bodies  having  been  horribly  mutilated. 
We  were  all  greatly  shocked  when  the  head  of  poor  Vaalepu 
was  brought  to  his  weeping  wife.  He  was  a  kind,  good 
fellow,  and  was  one  of  our  principal  carpenters  in  building  the 
Mission  house.  The  other  poor  woman  was  doubly  afflicted, 
as  she  was  not  only  the  wife  of  the  second  murdered  man,  but 
the  sister  also  of  Vaalepu.  I  returned  home  about  7  p.m. 
heartsick,  weary,  and  tired,  having  been  in  the  bush  from 
about  i  a.m. 

I  had  quite  forgotten  this  incident,  until  many  years  after- 
wards I  was  walking  along  the  same  road  with  a  large  number  of 
Samoans,  and  one  of  them  pointing  to  a  part  of  the  road  asked 
me  if  I  remembered  the  place.  I  answered  :  "  No  ;  why  should 
I  remember  this  ? "  "  Because  it  was  here  that  you  sat  for  a 
whole  day  in  the  sun  keeping  back  the  Tufu  people  when  they 
came  to  fight  us."  And  then  they  told  the  story  in  their  own 
way,  saying  how  they  were  frightened  when  the  Tufu  chiefs  first 
endeavoured  to  persuade  me  to  get  up  and  go  to  a  more  con- 
venient place  for  a  talk,  lest  I  would  accede  to  their  request, 
as  it  was  only  a  pretext  for  getting  me  to  rise,  and  how 
they  were  again  afraid  when  some  of  the  more  aggressive  young 
men  appeared  to  threaten  us  with  very  serious  consequences 
if  we  would  not  rise.  They  laughed  heartily  as  they  related  the 


A    SAMOAN    TULAFALE    (ORATOR). 
The  staff  and  fly-whisk  are  the  insignia  of  his  office. 


SAMOA  45 

incident,  but  I  remember  that  they  did  not  consider  it  a  laughing 
matter  at  the  time. 

After  this  incident  a  period  of  truce  ensued,  but  there  was  no 
real  peace  between  the  parties.  Satupaitea  had  lost  two  more 
men  than  Tufu.  So,  according  to  their  ideas,  they  had  two  men 
"unpaid  for,"  and  so  long  as  this  was  the  case  they  felt  humbled 
and  disgraced.  Other  causes  of  quarrel  arose,  which  I  need  not 
detail  here,  but  the  consequence  was  that  the  adjoining  district  of 
Palauli  united  with  Tufu,  and  determined  to  attack  Satupaitea. 
I  did  all  that  I  could  to  prevent  the  war,  as  I  was  quite  friendly 
with  all  the  parties  concerned ;  but  my  efforts  were  unavailing, 
and  in  August  1869  the  allied  forces  of  Palauli  and  Tufu  took 
possession  of  all  the  Satupaitea  plantations  inland,  and  prepared 
to  attack  the  town.  August  30  I  have  entered  in  my  diary 
as  one  of  the  most  eventful  days  of  my  mission  life  in  Samoa.  I 
met  the  teachers  early  in  the  morning,  and  a  party  of  us  went  up 
into  the  bush  to  the  attacking  party,  and  had  a  long  talk  with 
the  chiefs  and  leaders.  They  were  very  respectful  to  us,  but  per- 
sisted in  their  determination  that  they  would  not  make  peace 
until  they  had,  at  all  events,  entered  the  town  in  force.  This 
Satupaitea  refused  to  allow,  and  as  we  could  not  succeed  in  our 
mission  we  returned  to  the  beach.  I  fear  that  I  then  did  a  very 
foolish  action — at  all  events  it  was  one  for  which  I  received 
the  only  scolding  I  ever  got  from  my  dear  old  colleague  Barnabas. 
I  decided  to  go  alone  to  make  another  attempt  to  bring  about  a 
compromise.  I  went  alone,  because  the  teachers  were  engaged  in 
keeping  back  another  company  on  the  beach,  and  also  because  I 
knew  that  Barnabas  would  dissuade  me  from  going  if  he  knew  of 
my  intention. 

On  my  way  up  I  passed  Asiata,  the  principal  chief  of  Satu- 
paitea, and  asked  him  if  he  would  consent  to  the  proposition 
which  I  was  going  to  make,  viz.  that  they  should  allow  the 
enemy  to  enter  one  end  of  the  town  on  condition  that  they 
at  once  made  peace,  and  engaged  not  to  burn  or  destroy  the 
town.  I  thought  this  would  be  acceptable  to  the  other  party,  as 
it  would  constitute  them  victors  without  absolutely  disgracing 


46  GEORGE    BROWN 

their  opponents.  He  said  :  "  Do  what  you  like.  I  will  consent 
to  anything  that  you  propose."  I  thanked  him,  and  asked  him 
to  keep  the  young  men  quiet  until  I  returned.  I  then  passed 
through  the  vanguard  of  the  Satupaitea  troops,  who  were  all 
painted  and  in  full  fighting  costume.  As  I  went  along  the  path 
I  could  not  see  any  signs  whatever  of  the  men,  as  they  were  all 
carefully  hidden  ;  and  it  was  somewhat  startling  to  be  confronted 
every  now  and  then  by  one  after  another  of  these  armed  warriors, 
who  had  evidently  been  taking  notice  of  all  my  movements.  I 
spoke  to  them  kindly,  and  begged  them  not  to  precipitate  a  fight 
until  my  return,  and  this  they  promised  to  do.  After  I  left  them 
I  took  great  care  to  make  as  much  noise  as  possible,  to  let  the 
opposing  party  know  that  I  was  going  as  a  non-combatant,  for  I 
knew  that  soon  after  I  left  the  Satupaitea  troops  I  entered  upon 
a  part  of  the  road  which  was  occupied  in  full  force  by  their 
opponents.  I  was  soon  challenged  by  them,  and  I  spoke  to 
them  from  time  to  time  as  I  had  done  to  the  Satupaitea 
men,  and  especially  urged  them  not  to  precipitate  the  fight  until 
I  returned.  This  they  promised  to  do  ;  but  I  had  very  good  reason 
for  believing  that  the  proposition  which  I  was  about  to  make, 
and  which  would  probably  be  accepted,  was  one  which  did 
not  commend  itself  to  the  young  fellows  of  both  parties,  who 
earnestly  desired  a  fight  At  all  events  I  had  just  stated  my 
proposition  to  the  rulers  of  Palauli,  and  they  were  considering  it 
— I  believe  favourably — when  we  were  all  startled  by  a  gun  fired 
about  forty  or  fifty  yards  behind  us.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
startling  effect  that  gun  produced  on  us  all.  We  almost  held  our 
breath  until  it  was  answered  by  another,  and  then  we  knew 
at  once  that  all  mediation  was  at  an  end. 

At  this  time  I  was  between  the  two  parties,  or  rather 
between  Satupaitea  and  the  advanced  troop  of  Palauli,  on  one 
side,  and  the  main  body  of  Palauli  on  the  other,  and  in  no 
little  danger  of  being  struck  by  the  bullets  fired  by  both  parties. 
As  there  was  then  no  chance  of  getting  down  to  the  beach 
again  by  the  road,  and  it  was  far  from  safe  to  remain  where  I 
was,  I  had  to  take  to  the  bush  alone,  and,  making  a  good  circuit 


A   SAMOAN   ORATOR    AND   THREE   GIRLS. 


SAMOA  47 

to  keep  well  clear  of  bullets,  try  to  find  my  way  out.  This 
I  did  with  a  sad  heart.  The  fight  was  now  going  on  in 
earnest,  and  volley  after  volley  was  fired  without  a  moment's 
intermission.  Not  knowing  the  bush  or  the  road,  I  got  astray, 
but  at  last  found  my  way  out  on  the  beach  about  a  mile  from 
where  I  left  in  the  morning.  The  native  missionary  and  the 
teachers  were  glad  to  see  me  again,  as  they  had  been  very 
anxious,  and  two  of  the  poor  fellows  nearly  got  shot  going  up 
into  the  bush  to  look  for  me.  I  made  my  way  home  at  once, 
and  found  our  houses  and  grounds  full  of  women  and  children, 
and  all  the  old  and  sick.  One  boy  was  brought  in  wounded,  and 
others  soon  followed,  so  that  we  were  in  a  great  state  of 
excitement.  I  was  much  affected  in  going  out,  to  find  all  the 
women  scattered  in  groups  on  the  verandahs  and  the  outhouses, 
offering  up  most  earnest  prayers  to  God.  Poor  creatures !  They 
wept  sore  and  we  wept  with  them.  It  was  a  sorrowful  sight. 
In  one  of  our  outhouses  I  heard  one  of  our  best  leaders  praying 
most  fervently,  and  I  longed  to  go  and  join  them,  for  God  was 
there  ;  but  I  had  work  to  do. 

All  that  day  they  fought  hard.  Towards  evening  Palauli 
had  got  possession  of  an  end  village  which  was  undefended. 
This  they  commenced  to  burn,  and  then  built  walls  to  fortify  it. 
By  this  time,  however,  the  tide  flowed,  and  we  soon  heard  the 
drums  of  the  large  double-canoe  belonging  to  Satupaitea  as  she 
moved  along  the  beach  to  dislodge  those  intruders.  She  was 
well  barricaded,  and  seemed  to  inspire  great  dread.  As  soon  as 
she  got  within  range,  the  Palauli  people  fired  volley  after  volley 
at  her,  but  she  moved  steadily  along,  and  not  a  shot  was  fired  in 
return  until  she  got  into  a  position  to  rake  the  ground  behind 
the  walls.  We  then  saw  the  Palauli  men  take  to  their  heels, 
and  the  Satupaitea  people  on  shore  at  once  reoccupied  the 
village.  The  canoe  then  moved  on  further,  to  the  temporary 
fort  built  by  Palauli,  and  there  they  continued  fighting  until 
dark.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  noise,  but  not  much  damage 
done,  as  the  Palauli  people  were  behind  stone  walls,  and 
Satupaitea  behind  the  barricades  of  their  canoe.  In  the  bush 


48  GEORGE    BROWN 

also  the  fight  continued  until  it  was  too  dark  to  see  one  another. 
The  Satupaitea  people  fought  against  great  odds,  but  at  night 
they  were  still  in  nearly  full  possession  of  their  town.  Up  to 
about  8  p.m.  the  firing  continued.  It  was  then  found  that  a 
large  number  of  Satupaitea  people  had  been  outflanked,  and 
were  still  in  the  bush,  so  that  there  were  few  left  to  defend  the 
village.  At  that  juncture  we  again  entreated  Satupaitea  to  leave 
the  town,  as  it  was  very  apparent  that  any  further  fighting 
would  only  involve  more  loss  of  life.  They  were  unwilling  at 
first,  but  afterwards  consented.  They  prepared  all  their  boats 
quietly  under  cover  of  the  double-canoe,  which  still  kept  firing 
away  at  anything  that  moved.  After  all  was  ready,  one  boat 
dropped  quietly  down  and  took  on  board  all  the  wounded,  with 
the  old  men  and  boys,  leaving  the  women  and  children  in  our 
house  and  grounds.  This  was  soon  done,  and  then  the  other 
men  left  the  walls,  behind  which  they  had  fought,  leaving  the 
Palauli  troops  to  fire  away  at  a  deserted  position.  After  this 
we  had  a  little  peace,  and  the  poor  heart-broken  creatures  who 
filled  our  rooms  tried  to  rest.  It  was  of  little  use,  however,  as 
every  now  and  again  some  cause  of  alarm  occurred,  and  often 
just  as  all  was  quiet,  some  loud  reports  would  startle  us  all,  and 
fill  us  with  all  kinds  of  conjectures.  It  was  a  dreadful  night, 
and  we  eagerly  welcomed  the  first  signs  of  day.  During  the 
night  most  of  the  men  who  had  been  shut  up  in  the  bush  found 
their  way  out.  I  dressed  their  wounds,  and  they  went  on 
board  the  canoe  at  once,  as  they  were  not  safe  anywhere 
else. 

On  Saturday,  the  3ist,  the  double-canoe  moved  away,  and 
very  soon  afterwards  they  threw  away  their  barricades  and  made 
sail  for  Safotulafai,  the  place  to  which  the  other  boats  had  gone. 
As  soon  as  they  left  we  went  down  and  told  the  Palauli  and 
Tufu  people  that  no  one  was  left  to  oppose  them.  I  begged,  as 
a  personal  favour,  that  they  would  not  burn  the  houses  which 
remained,  nor  destroy  the  trees  on  the  beach.  This  they 
consented  to  do.  They  also  gave  us  permission  to  seek  for  the 
killed,  and  gave  up  to  me  the  heads  of  those  they  had  got.  In 


SAMOA  49 

the  afternoon  the  teachers  and  I  went  with  the  Institution  boys 
and  some  women  to  look  for  the  killed.  We  went  into  the 
scrub  where  the  fight  took  place,  and  soon  found  traces  of  the 
struggle.  The  boys  carried  out  those  who  were  found,  and  we 
continued  the  search  until  night.  It  was  a  dreadful  place  in 
which  to  fight — a  thick  bush,  full  of  vines  and  creepers,  and  so 
stony  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  walk  over  it.  It  was  a 
ghastly  sight  to  see  men  lying  in  that  gloomy  bush,  headless 
and  mutilated.  Poor  fellows  !  we  had  lived  amongst  them  for 
nearly  seven  years,  and  were  intimate  with  many  of  them  ;  but 
there  they  were,  men  whom  we  had  seen  the  previous  day  in 
health  and  strength,  shot  down  in  defending  themselves  from 
what  I  could  not'  but  regard  as  a  most  unjust  and  unprovoked 
attack.  One  man  had  prayed  most  earnestly  in  the  prayer  meeting 
a  few  hours  before  he  was  shot,  that  God  would  prevent  war  or 
bloodshed.  Another  chief  had  brought  me  a  dollar  a  few  weeks 
previously,  and  asked  me  to  keep  it  for  him  against  the  time  of 
the  missionary  meeting.  Others  were  busy  making  oil  for  the 
missionary  meeting,  often  scraping  nuts  with  their  guns  by  their 
side  in  case  of  an  attack.  Another  went  to  bid  his  teacher  good- 
bye, and  told  him  with  tears  that  he  did  not  want  to  fight,  but 
he  could  not  stand  aloof  and  see  his  people  killed.  He  was  no 
coward,  as  his  subsequent  actions  proved.  All  these  were  slain. 
We  found  that  there  were  ten  men  killed  on  each  side,  and 
several  others  severely  wounded.  The  principal  chief  of  Satu- 
paitea,  with  whom  I  had  spoken  on  my  way  inland,  was  shot, 
and  I  saw  his  head  brought  in  as  I  passed  from  the  village. 

This  fight,  and  the  abandonment  of  the  town,  necessitated 
our  removal  to  Saleaula,  on  the  north-east  coast  of  Savaii, 
where  I  spent  some  very  happy  years  in  the  latter  portion 
of  our  residence  in  Samoa.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  fighting 
both  on  Savaii  and  on  Upolu  subsequent  to  that  about  which 
I  have  written  ;  but  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  give  any 
account  of  it,  much  less  to  attempt  any  explanation  of  the 
reasons  alleged  for  it.  There  are,  however,  some  of  their 
customs  and  superstitions  connected  with  war  which  I  may 

4 


50  GEORGE    BROWN 

mention  here.  When  Vaalepu  and  Tapusoa  were  killed,  as 
I  have  related,  their  friends  went  some  days  afterwards  and 
spread  a  piece  of  siapo  (native  cloth)  over  the  place  where 
the  bodies  had  lain.  They  then  offered  up  prayers  that  the 
spirits  would  have  love  and  come  to  them.  They  then  waited 
until  some  animal  such  as  a  lizard,  ant,  or  beetle,  crawled  on 
to  the  native  cloth.  This  they  at  once  covered  up  and  brought 
down  to  the  beach,  and  buried  it.  They  thought  that  the 
animal  was  the  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  the  dead,  and 
when  it  was  buried  the  spirit  found  rest. 

In  commencing  a  fight  in  the  olden  days  the  Samoans 
were  extremely  polite  to  each  other.  When  the  vanguard  of 
the  two  opposing  parties  first  met  one  called  out,  "  Aiga 
matavao " — "  You,  the  eyes  of  the  forest."  The  other  party 
at  once  answered :  "  Yes,"  or,  "  It  is  I."  The  other  then 
called  :  "  Who  are  you  ?  "  If  the  reply  was  "  Satupaitea," 
and  the  opposing  party  wished  to  fight  that  village,  all  was 
well,  and  they  passed  on  to  the  other  observances ;  but  if 
they  did  not  want  to  fight  Satupaitea,  but  some  other  village, 
the  answer  was :  "  Go  ye,  and  seek  your  appointed  guests 
(opponents) ;  but  where  is  Sagone  ?  Tell  them  to  come." 
Satupaitea  would  at  once  return  to  the  main  body,  and 
as  soon  as  they  were  seen  the  question  would  be  at  once 
asked  :  "  Who  is  wanted  ? "  and  they  would  reply  "  Sagone." 
Then  these  would  leap  up  and  start  for  the  boundary  to 
answer  the  challenge  made  to  them.  After  they  got  there, 
they  would  at  once  make  themselves  known,  and  then  one 
would  walk  out  unarmed  to  the  opposite  party,  and  taking 
a  piece  of  dried  ava  or  kava,  from  which  the  ceremonial 
drink  was  made,  would  give  it  to  the  opposing  party  with 
many  marks  of  respect,  and  using  the  most  polite  language, 
saying :  "  This  is  a  piece  of  kava  for  you  chiefs  and  warriors 
to  drink."  This  was  received  with  thanks  and  many  polite 
acknowledgments.  The  first  speaker  would  then  retire,  and 
at  once  a  chief  from  the  opposing  side  would  walk  out  and 
present  a  similar  piece  of  kava  to  the  first  party,  using  the 


THREE    SAMOAX    GIRLS. 


SAMOA  51 

same  words  and  expressions.  After  this  one  of  the  parties 
would  ask:  "When  shall  we  trample  the  grass?"  i.e.  "When 
shall  we  fight  ?  "  The  others  would  answer  :  "  It  is  not  becoming 
to  us  to  dictate  to  such  renowned  chiefs  and  warriors  as 
you."  The  others  would  reply  in  much  the  same  terms ; 
and  so  the  talk  might  go  on  for  a  long  time,  until  at  last 
some  one  might  casually  observe  that  the  sun  appeared  to 
be  getting  low.  The  others  would  at  once  take  advantage 
of  this,  and  would  say :  "  Well,  if  that  is  so,  let  us  sleep 
to-night,  and  pray  for  success,  and  trample  the  grass  to- 
morrow ;  it  is  too  late  now."  The  other  would  then  answer : 
"  Yes."  And  they  would  retire,  to  fight  at  dawn  next  morning, 
but  would  sleep  in  peace  that  night,  as  such  a  truce  was 
never  broken.  This  sounds  like  very  exaggerated  politeness, 
but  some  such  ceremony  was  always  observed  in  the  olden 
days. 

Heralds  or  messengers  were  always  held  sacred  in  war. 
A  messenger  of  the  land  would  never  go  off  the  path,  or 
show  the  usual  marks  of  respect  in  passing  through  a  village 
or  meeting  any  one  on  the  path.  Each  land  had  a  name 
for  its  herald  or  embassy,  and  this,  whether  consisting  of  one 
or  many,  was  never  called  by  any  other  name  than  that 
adopted  by  the  district  which  it  represented.  No  one,  for 
instance,  would  say  that  a  messenger  had  come  with  a 
command  or  request  from  Safotulafai,  but  simply  "The 
Tagaloatea "  had  come ;  from  Satupaitea,  "  The  Vasa "  had 
come  ;  from  Palauli, "  The  Taulua  "  ;  from  Falefa,  "  The  Laufa  "  ; 
from  Manono,  "  The  Maina,"  etc.,  etc. 

When  war  was  being  carried  on  it  was  generally  accom- 
panied by  the  revival  of  the  old  heathen  dances,  and  always 
resulted  in  a  great  loss  to  our  Church,  as  large  numbers  of 
our  members  felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  join  in  the  combat 
through  feelings  of  loyalty  to  their  respective  districts  ;  and 
under  the  law  which  then  existed  all  such  forfeited  their 
membership.  I  never  approved  of  this  regulation,  but  it  was 
universally  acted  upon  by  all  the  missionaries. 


52  GEORGE    BROWN 

We  had,  however,  much  to  cheer  us  in  the  changed  life  and 
character  of  many  of  our  members.  I  well  remember  at  one 
time,  when  we  were  feeling  very  dispirited  at  the  slow  progress 
which  we  thought  was  being  made,  being  very  much  en- 
couraged at  our  meeting  of  teachers  by  the  record  given  of 
the  death  of  one  of  our  oldest  workers.  I  could  give  many 
illustrations  of  the  truth  that  "Our  people  die  well,"  but  one 
must  suffice  for  the  present.  Siaosi  Leasi  was  one  of  Mr. 
Turner's  local  preachers,  and  from  the  time  of  his  appoint- 
ment he  remained  true  to  his  first  love.  Through  all  the 
long  war  and  the  many  temptations  to  which  he  was  exposed 
he  bore  an  unblemished  character,  respected  and  loved  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a  quiet,  simple  old  man,  and 
never  took  an  active  part  in  any  of  our  meetings ;  but  his 
genuine,  earnest  piety  made  itself  felt  by  all.  According  to 
custom,  at  our  united  meeting  the  teacher  gave  a  short  account 
of  his  death  in  these  words :  "  I  went  to  visit  Siaosi  many 
times  during  his  illness.  The  last  time  I  went  he  was  very 
weak,  and  I  said :  '  Siaosi,  you  are  very  weak  now.  How  do 
you  feel  in  the  prospect  of  death?'  He  said:  'Yes,  I'm  very 
weak  indeed,  but  my  heart  is  strong.  My  desire  is  to  look 
to  Jesus.  I  feel  very  sorry  for  you,  teacher  ;  there  are  so 
few  left  to  carry  on  the  work  of  God,  but  I  cannot  deny  that 
my  desire  is  to  go  to  rest.  I  look  for  the  resting-place.  My 
heart  is  strong  yet  for  the  work  of  God.'  I  (the  teacher) 
began  to  comfort  him,  but  he  presently  began  to  comfort 
me,  and  tell  me  how  sorry  he  was  to  go  away  and  leave  me 
to  do  all  the  work  alone  ;  but  he  wanted  rest.  He  said  after 
a  little  while :  '  There  is  not  one  single  thing  I  doubt  about. 
I  have  finished  my  running.'  There  was  not  a  single  word 
wrong  or  uncertain.  He  said  again  :  '  I  shall  gain  the  kingdom 
of  God.  I  have  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  that ;  then 
I  shall  gain  the  end  of  my  running."  He  also  said  to  his 
wife  (a  leader) :  '  Don't  cry ;  don't  be  troubled  on  my  account. 
We  shall  meet  again  in  the  kingdom  of  God.'  I  (the  teacher) 
said  to  him  :  '  How  will  you  meet  with  Maata  (his  wife)  as 


TWO   SAMOAN    WARRIORS    IN    FULL   COSTUME. 


SAMOA  53 

your  wife  again  ? '  He  said :  '  When  they  shall  rise  from 
the  dead  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage.'  He 
called  to  his  family :  '  Don't  go  far  away ;  I  am  expecting 
the  message  soon.'  His  last  words  to  me  (the  teacher)  were  : 
1  Bring  me  some  food  for  my  journey.'  He  meant  for  the 
teacher  to  read  and  pray  with  him.  In  the  night  he  began 
to  arrange  his  clothes,  bedding,  etc.  His  wife  woke,  and 
said  to  him  :  '  Siaosi,  why  do  you  dress  yourself  and  arrange 
your  clothes  just  as  if  you  were  going  to  preach  somewhere  ? ' 
He  said :  '  I  am  going  to  heaven  now.  I  shall  preach  there 
to-morrow.'  Then  he  laid  himself  quietly  down,  and  died." 

This  was  the  story  as  I  took  it  down  at  the  time.  Before 
he  finished  there  were  very  few  dry  eyes  in  the  chapel.  We 
all  knelt  down  for  silent  prayer,  but  the  emotion  excited  by 
the  story  of  Siaosi's  triumphant  death  could  not  be  restrained, 
and  sobs  and  cries  of  sorrow  and  thanksgiving  were  heard 
all  over  the  chapel.  It  was  a  very  solemn  time.  Several 
engaged  in  prayer,  and  many  a  petition  was  presented  to 
God  that  we  might  gain  more  of  that  faith  which  enabled 
Siaosi  to  "  overcome "  and  to  come  off  "  more  than  conqueror 
through  Him  that  loved  us." 

It  may  be  readily  seen  from  the  above  story  that  the 
Samoans  were  very  familiar  with  their  Bible,  and  that  the 
Book  they  studied  so  much  was  always  regarded  by  them 
as  their  infallible  guide  in  perplexity  and  doubt,  their  strength 
in  weakness,  and  their  only  comfort  and  joy  in  the  hour  of 
death.  Every  missionary  can  give  numberless  instances  of 
the  knowledge  which  the  men  and  women  under  his  care 
had  of  the  Word  of  God.  I  well  remember  one  instance  in 
which  a  young  local  preacher  proved  his  familiarity  with  the 
Bible,  and  his  ability  to  quote  it  to  further  his  own  wishes, 
in  a  way  which,  though  satisfactory  to  his  hearers  and  to 
himself,  was  not  considered  so  satisfactory  by  some  of  his 
fellow-preachers.  The  story  necessitates  an  account  of  a 
very  curious  fact  in  natural  history,  which  may  well  be  given 
here. 


54  GEORGE    BROWN 

Satupaitea,  where  we  lived  in  Samoa,  was  celebrated 
throughout  the  group  as  the  place  in  which  the  largest 
quantities  of  a  sea-worm,  the  scientific  name  of  which  is  Palolo 
viridis,  are  found.  This  annelid,  as  far  as  I  can  remember,  is 
about  eight  or  twelve  inches  long,  and  somewhat  thicker  than 
ordinary  piping-cord.  It  is  found  only  on  two  mornings  in 
the  year,  and  the  time  when  it  will  appear  and  disappear  can 
be  accurately  predicted.  As  a  general  rule,  only  a  few  palolo 
are  found  on  the  first  day,  though  occasionally  the  large  quantity 
may  appear  first  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  large  quantity  appears  on 
the  second  morning.  And  it  is  only  found  on  these  mornings 
for  a  very  limited  period,  viz.  from  early  dawn  to  about 
seven  o'clock,  i.e.  for  about  two  hours.  It  then  disappears  until 
the  following  year,  except  in  some  rare  instances,  when  it  is 
found  for  the  same  limited  period  in  the  following  month  after 
its  first  appearance.  I  kept  records  of  the  time,  and  of  the 
state  of  the  moon,  for  some  years,  with  the  following  result : 
that  it  always  appeared  on  two  out  of  the  following  three  days, 
viz.  the  day  before,  the  day  of,  and  the  day  after,  the  last 
quarter  of  the  October  moon.  This  worm  is  regarded  as  a 
great  delicacy  by  the  Samoans.  At  Satupaitea  it  also  brought 
a  considerable  addition  of  income  to  the  women  of  the  village, 
as  they  were  accustomed  to  take  the  cooked  bundles  of  palolo 
and  exchange  them  for  native  cloth  or  money  with  the  people 
of  the  adjoining  villages.  The  day  on  which  the  palolo  was 
expected  was  the  great  gala  day  of  the  year.  For  some  days 
before  this  the  girls  and  women  prepared  sweet-scented 
garlands,  and  replenished  their  stocks  of  perfumed  cocoanut 
oil.  The  men,  on  their  part,  prepared  every  old  canoe  and 
boat  that  was  available,  and  even  the  cripples  and  the  sick 
who  could  by  any  means  manage  to  reach  the  beach  found  a 
seat  in  one  of  the  numerous  canoes  or  boats  there.  Some  of 
the  members  of  the  mission-house  were  also  generally  found 
amongst  the  crowd.  We  always  started  for  the  reef  about  an 
hour  before  dawn,  but  even  so  we  found  the  place  filled  with 
canoes  and  boats  full  of  merry,  laughing  natives,  young  and 


SAMOA  55 

old,  whose  voices  we  could  hear,  though  we  could  rarely 
distinguish  the  canoes  through  the  mist  and  gloom.  The  whole 
of  the  lagoon  was  perfumed  with  the  odour  of  the  garlands  and 
scented  oil,  which  had  been  lavishly  used.  As  soon  as  it  was 
dawn  we  kept  putting  our  hands  down  into  the  warm  sea-water, 
until  by-and-by  some  of  the  worms  were  found  hanging  to 
the  fingers,  and  at  once  the  fun  commenced.  I  cannot  hope 
to  give  my  readers  any  idea  of  the  quantities  of  these  annelids, 
which  literally  appeared  to  cover  the  whole  surface  of  that  part 
of  the  lagoon.  We,  in  our  mission-boat,  took  as  many  tubs 
and  buckets  as  the  boat  would  conveniently  hold,  and  these 
were  nearly  always  filled.  Many  times  I  have  seen  the  native 
canoes  so  full  of  these  worms  that  the  occupants  could  not 
remain  in  them,  and  had  themselves  to  swim  the  canoes  to 
land.  In  about  an  hour  after  the  first  appearance  of  the  worms 
they  began  to  break  up  into  small  pieces,  and  then  the  natives 
left  them  and  returned  to  the  shore.  I  believe  that  the 
explanation  of  this  regular  appearance  is  that  the  palolo  is 
propagated  by  fission,  and  that  each  piece  becomes  impregnated 
at  this  time,  and  develops  into  the  full-grown  palolo  during 
the  year. 

I  must  now  explain  how  the  appearance  of  the  palolo  is 
associated  with  the  matter  of  the  exposition  of  the  Scriptures. 
I  was  sitting  in  my  study  one  day  when  a  deputation,  consisting 
of  the  older  men  of  the  village,  asked  for  an  interview.  When 
this  was  granted  they  informed  me  that  they  had  come  to  ask 
what  was  my  count  as  to  the  day  on  which  the  palolo  would 
appear.  They,  of  course,  had  fixed  the  matter  in  their  usual 
way,  which,  I  believe,  is  by  the  position  of  some  of  the  stars 
and  the  state  of  the  moon,  but  they  knew  that  I  had  kept  count 
for  some  time,  and  so  they  wished  for  my  opinion.  I  told  them 
at  once  that  the  small  quantity  would  probably  appear  on  the 
Saturday,  and  the  great  bulk  on  the  Sunday,  but  that  there 
was,  of  course,  the  possibility  that  this  order  might  be  reversed. 
They  looked  at  each  other,  and  one  of  them  said  mournfully : 
"  Oh,  the  pity  of  it !  That  is  just  our  opinion  also."  This 


56  GEORGE    BROWN 

ended  our  interview.  I  had  never  said  anything  to  them  about 
getting  the  palolo  on  Sundays,  or  otherwise ;  but  I  found 
afterwards  that  our  people  were  strongly  tempted  that  day  by 
some  members  of  a  large  journeying  party  in  the  village  who 
belonged  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  They  said  to  our 
people:  "Who  sends  the  palolo?  Does  not  God  send  it?  If 
He  sends  it  on  Sunday,  does  He  not  intend  you  to  get  it  on 
Sunday  ?  Come  and  join  our  religion,  and  you  can  get  the 
palolo  on  Sundays,  and  go  to  heaven  also."  A  small  quantity 
of  palolo  was  seen  on  Saturday,  and  every  man  in  Satupaitea 
knew  that  if  he  did  not  get  the  palolo  on  Sunday  he  would 
not  taste  that  great  delicacy  for  at  least  another  twelve  months, 
and  every  woman  knew  that  if  she  did  not  get  it  on  Sunday 
there  would  be,  in  addition,  a  very  serious  loss  of  income.  I 
confess  that  I  had  some  doubt  on  Sunday  as  to  the  attendance 
at  the  morning  service.  There  was  not,  however,  a  single 
individual  absent.  As  we  were  returning  from  church  our 
people  saw  the  Roman  Catholic  visitors  actually  swimming 
their  canoes  ashore  filled  almost  to  the  gunwales  with 
palolos. 

Next  morning  our  chiefs  and  rulers  gathered  together  in 
the  house  in  which  the  visitors  were  located,  in  accordance  with 
the  regular  Samoan  custom  to  drink  kava  with  them  before  the 
presentation  of  food  by  the  village.  The  practice  in  such  cases 
is  for  the  villagers  to  take  small  portions  of  food  with  them  ; 
the  visitors  also  produce  their  share,  and  all  eat  together.  On 
this  particular  morning  the  visitors'  share  to  the  general  feast 
consisted  of  a  number  of  dishes  of  palolo,  and  these  were 
distributed  as  part  of  the  feast.  Most  of  our  people  were 
members  of  the  Church,  and  some  of  them  were  office-bearers. 
These  people  knew  that  if  it  was  wrong  to  get  the  palolo  on 
the  Sunday,  it  was  equally  wrong  for  them  to  eat  those  which 
had  been  caught  on  the  Sunday  by  other  people  ;  and  yet  it 
was  to  them  a  terrible  temptation.  This  was  their  great 
delicacy,  and  this  was  the  only  chance  they  would  have  of 
getting  it.  Each  man  looked  longingly  at  the  dish  before 


SAMOA  57 

him  ;  each  of  them  was  anxious  to  partake  of  it,  but  each  one 
was  looking  for  some  one  else  to  begin.  At  this  critical 
moment  one  of  the  local  preachers  spoke  as  follows  :  "  Chiefs 
and  friends,  I  see  the  difficulty  in  which  we  are  all  placed  this 
morning,  but  I  wish  to  tell  you  what  the  Apostle  Paul  says 
about  it.  If  you  look  in  his  first  Epistle  to  the  Church  at 
Corinth  you  will  find  these  words :  '  If  one  of  them  that  believe 
not  biddeth  you  to  a  feast,  and  ye  are  disposed  to  go  ;  whatso- 
ever is  set  before  you,  eat,  asking  no  question  for  conscience' 
sake.' "  These  words  were  accepted  by  our  Satupaitea  people 
as  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  their  eating  palolo.  It  showed,  at 
all  events,  that  the  young  man  had  studied  the  Bible  to  some 
purpose.  The  matter  was  brought  up  at  our  next  Church 
meeting,  but  I  had  neither  the  heart  nor  the  wish  to  do  more 
than  give  them  what  I  considered  to  be  a  better  explanation 
of  the  verse  in  question.  This,  however,  is  only  one  instance 
of  many  which  could  be  given  to  show  how  familiar  the 
Samoans  are  with  the  Bible  ;  and  many  more  could  be  given 
to  show  how  precious  its  teachings  are  to  them. 

Some  time  after  our  people  at  Satupaitea  were  dispersed 
we  moved  to  Saleaula,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  island. 
Here  we  were  kindly  received  by  the  people,  and  we  spent 
some  happy  years  amongst  them.  During  our  stay  at 
Satupaitea  I  crossed  the  large  island  of  Savaii,  of  the  interior 
of  which  little  or  nothing  was  previously  known.  We  slept 
one  night  at  an  inland  village,  the  next  night  on  the  shores  of 
a  mysterious  lake  in  the  centre  of  the  island,  about  which  we 
had  heard  many  wonderful  stories.  The  third  night  we  slept 
at  an  inland  village  on  the  north  coast.  The  lake  in  the 
interior,  called  Matau  Lano,  is,  I  think,  the  crater  of  an  old 
volcano.  The  natives  told  us  that  it  was  very  deep,  in  fact 
fathomless,  in  their  opinion  ;  but  after  bathing  I  proved  the 
fallacy  of  this  by  having  soundings  taken,  which  gave  only 
two  or  three  fathoms  deep.  The  account  of  a  journey  made 
by  the  late  Rev.  George  Pratt,  the  late  Mr.  J.  C.  Williams, 


58  GEORGE    BROWN 

British  Consul,  and  Mr.  Reid,  and  myself,  to  investigate  the 
truth  of  the  report  that  a  large  extinct  crater  was  situate  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  inland,  is  interesting  in  view  of  the  recent 
volcanic  outbreak  in  that  district.  At  the  time  we  went  there 
was  no  trace  of  any  recent  active  volcanic  forces  in  the  island : 
there  were  no  hot  springs  or  fumaroles  in  any  part  of  the 
island,  though  on  many  parts  of  the  coast,  and  for  some 
distance  inland,  there  were  large  fields  of  lava,  which  showed 
that  there  had  been  extensive  flows  in  years  past.  The  natives, 
however,  had  no  traditions  of  the  event,  and  the  fact  that  certain 
districts  were  described  as  "  le  mu,"  meaning  the  burnt  or  the 
burning,  was  the  only  record  of  it  known.  The  mountain,  we 
found,  consisted  entirely  of  ashes,  up  which  it  was  somewhat 
difficult  to  climb.  There  was  no  soil  on  the  outside  of  it,  and 
the  few  stunted  trees  that  were  growing  on  some  places  seemed 
to  derive  nourishment  only  from  decomposed  scoria  and  constant 
rain.  We  did  not  go  down  the  crater,  but  walked  part  of  the 
way  round  it.  It  was  almost  perpendicular  on  three  sides,  and 
in  the  bottom  there  were  immense  forest  trees  growing,  proving 
that  it  must  have  been  many  years  since  there  was  any  volcano 
there.  The  name  is  Tutumau,  and  it  is  about  eight  or  ten 
miles  from  the  inland  village  of  Aopo.  It  was  a  very  great 
surprise  to  me,  as  to  all  others  acquainted  with  the  group,  to 
hear  of  the  terrible  eruption  which  took  place  a  short  time  ago. 
So  far  as  I  can  learn,  the  new  volcano  commenced  in  a  deep 
valley  some  distance  eastwards  of  the  old  crater.  It  has  filled 
up  the  whole  of  the  valley,  and  covered,  to  the  depth  of  eight 
or  ten  feet,  an  immense  area  of  land  extending  from  Le-Ala- 
tele  to  Saleaula.  My  old  house  there  is  now  in  a  well  of 
solid  lava,  and  any  one  standing  on  the  lava  can  look  down 
into  the  rooms  of  our  house. 

One  of  the  hardest  trials  we  had  to  bear  during  our  residence 
in  Samoa  was  when  we  had  to  send  away  our  two  eldest  girls 
to  New  Zealand  for  their  education.  We  had  long  felt  that 
they  ought  to  be  away  from  the  influences  of  native  life,  but  no 
favourable  opportunity  for  their  going  presented  itself  until  we 


SAMOA  59 

heard  of  a  small  schooner  going  to  New  Zealand,  and  on  which 
a  lady   passenger  was  travelling.     She  promised  to  look  after 
the  girls,  and  we  finally  decided  to  send  them.     The  opportunity 
seemed  to  be  a  very  good  one,  but,  as  subsequent  events  proved, 
it   was   an    unfortunate   experience   for   the  two  girls.      After 
placing  the  children  on  board  we  very  foolishly  accompanied 
the  vessel  in  our  boat  some  distance  outside  the  harbour,  and 
had  to  say  good-bye  to  them  at  sea.     It  was  indeed  a  hard 
trial  to  my  wife  and  myself  when  we  turned  the  boat  towards 
the  beach  and  saw  the  two  little  ones  holding  out  their  hands 
and  crying  to  us  most  piteously  to  come  back,  and   not  leave 
them   by  themselves  on  board.      We  could  only  comfort  our- 
selves with  the  thought  that  it  was  the  kindest  action  for  the 
children  themselves,  but  it  was  indeed  a  hard  trial.     Instead, 
however,  of  their  having  a  passage  of  a  few  days  only  to  New 
Zealand,   we   found   afterwards    that    they    were    exposed    to 
continuous   gales   and  bad  weather  almost  from    the   time   of 
their  leaving  port ;  that  for  long   periods   they  were  battened 
down  in  the  little  cabin  ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  the  supply  of 
food  on  board  was  almost  entirely  exhausted.     I  had  fortunately 
placed  a  lot  of  cocoanuts  on  board  the  vessel  for  the  children 
to  give  to  their  friends  when  they  reached  Auckland,  and  these 
were  almost  the  only  food  which  they  and  the  crew  had  to  eat 
for  some  days  before  they  reached  Whangaroa,  at  the  north  end 
of  the  North    Island,  where   they   took   on  board  some  fresh 
provisions.     They  had  again  a  very  bad  passage  from  there  to 
Auckland,  but  at  length  arrived  there  after  a  long  voyage  of  six 
weeks  instead  of  one  of  about  ten  days,  as  we  had  expected.     This 
necessity  of  parting  with  the  children  was  certainly  one  of  the 
greatest  trials  which  missionaries  had  to  endure  in  those  days. 

We  finally  left  Samoa  towards  the  end  of  1874,  after 
receiving  innumerable  proofs  from  the  natives  of  the  affection 
which  they  had  for  us  and  of  the  work  which  we  had  been 
permitted  to  do  amongst  them  during  so  many  troublous 
years  of  their  history.  I  have  since  been  privileged  to  visit  the 
islands  on  several  occasions,  and  it  has  been  a  great  joy  to  me 


60  GEORGE    BROWN 

to  meet  on  those  visits  so  many  of  my  old  friends.  On  one  of 
these  occasions,  in  1890,  I  visited  most  of  the  towns  and  villages 
on  the  north  side  of  Upolu,  and  also  our  old  station  on  Savaii. 
It  was  very  interesting  indeed  to  Mrs.  Brown  and  myself  to 
look  upon  the  scenes  of  our  labours  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years.  On  Manono  we  sought  out  the  grave  of  dear  old 
Barnabas,  one  of  the  noblest  men  that  God  ever  gave  to  our 
Church,  and  one  of  the  dearest  friends  we  had  in  the  early  days 
of  our  mission  life.  I  could  not  describe  the  memories  of 
bygone  days  which  rushed  upon  us  as  we  stood  at  the  grave  and 
read  the  inscription  upon  the  neat  monument  which  we,  who 
were  his  old  colleagues  and  dear  friends,  had  placed  to  mark 
the  spot  where  the  remains  of  a  good  man  were  laid.  At 
Satupaitea  we  were  kindly  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collier, 
and  lots  of  old  friends  came  crowding  around  us,  some  of  whom 
we  could  easily  recognise  and  name,  much  to  their  delight  The 
dear  old  place  still  retained  many  evidences  of  the  work  which 
was  done  in  past  years.  The  fine  house  which  we  built  of  solid 
stone  was  in  most  beautiful  order,  and,  so  far  as  the  walls  were 
concerned,  would  last  for  centuries.  Mr.  Collier  lowered  the 
roof  after  the  hurricane  which  wrecked  it,  as  the  iron  roof  did 
not  require  the  same  pitch  as  thatch,  and  it  was  stronger  then 
than  it  had  been  before.  The  cemented  stone  wall  which  we 
built  in  front  of  the  house  was  still  standing ;  and  as  I  looked 
at  it  from  Mr.  Collier's  verandah  my  thoughts  went  back  to 
troublous  times,  when  the  house  was  filled  with  trembling  old 
men,  women,  and  children  whilst  the  war  was  raging  in  the 
bush  a  little  inland,  and  when  we  saw,  time  after  time,  headless 
bodies  carried  past  that  low  wall  amid  the  wailings  of  friends 
and  relations.  As  we  wandered  over  the  grounds  almost  every 
tree  and  every  stone  seemed  to  remind  us  of  incidents  in  past 
years.  A  fine  large  and  beautiful  tamarind  tree,  which  then 
overshadowed  a  large  area,  was  brought  by  me  from  Tutuila 
as  a  seed,  and  planted  where  it  then  grew ;  a  cocoanut  tree 
that  I  planted  on  the  day  when  our  first  child  was  born  had 
stood  the  three  hurricanes  which  blew  down  so  many  hundreds 


SAMOA  61 

of  the  trees  which  once  surrounded  it ;  and  on  every  side  there 
were  reminders  of  the  past.  But  with  much  that  was  pleasant 
there  was  also  much  to  sadden.  We  missed  many  old  friends, 
some  of  whom  we  sincerely  loved,  and  with  whom  we  had 
laboured  and  suffered  hardship  together  ;  but  the  visit  was  to  us 
and  to  many  of  the  people  a  great  pleasure.  I  was  much 
pleased  with  the  state  of  the  work,  and  with  the  beautiful  order 
in  which  both  the  house  and  mission  premises  were  kept. 
Visiting  the  other  towns  we  received  many  proofs  that  we  had 
not  been  forgotten  by  the  people  amongst  whom  we  had  lived 
and  laboured.  I  lectured,  and  showed  the  New  Guinea  views, 
almost  every  night.  As  we  were  walking  through  one  of  the 
villages  the  people  pointed  with  great  pride  to  a  nicely  kept 
public  well,  which  supplied  all  the  families  near  it  with  good 
water,  and  told  me  that  it  still  bore  my  own  name.  I  had 
forgotten  all  about  it,  but  they  reminded  me  how  in  digging  a 
pit  in  which  to  burn  lime  for  the  house  I  had  seen  signs  of 
water,  and  how  upon  my  urging  them  to  do  so  they  had  set  to 
work  with  crowbars  and  spades,  and  soon  found  a  plentiful 
supply  of  water,  which  had  never  failed  them  since.  They  had 
built  up  the  sides  with  large  stones,  and  had  passed  laws,  too,  to 
compel  people  to  keep  it  in  order ;  and  clean  and  nice  it  was 
when  we  saw  it.  So  our  labour  was  not  in  vain. 

On  another  of  these  visits  in  1 898  I  had  the  great  privilege 
of  opening  a  large  stone  church  at  Satupaitea.  This  building 
is  132  ft.  long  inside,  by  a  width  of  48  ft.  6  in.  The  walls  are 
3  ft.  in  thickness.  The  church  had  cost  the  people  of  Satu- 
paitea about  £1400  up  to  the  day  of  opening,  in  addition 
to  their  own  hard  personal  labour  for  many  months.  The  total 
debt  owing  was  32^.,  but  the  collection  made  at  the  opening 
services  amounted  to  .£108,  leaving  them  with  a  large 
balance  in  hand,  which  they  purposed  applying  towards 
the  cost  of  ceiling  the  building.  Needless  to  say,  there 
was  a  great  feast  given  on  that  day,  one  which  they  intended 
to  be  a  record  in  the  history  of  the  group.  Nearly  all  the 
bread-fruit  trees  along  the  walks  throughout  the  town  had 


62  GEORGE    BROWN 

bunches  of  ripe  bananas  hanging  upon  them,  which  any  one 
was  at  liberty  to  eat.  809  pigs  roasted  whole,  2  kegs  of  beef, 
3  bullocks,  and  112,940  heads  of  taro  were  presented  to  the 
visitors  in  the  "  malae  "  (open  space  in  the  town).  This  was, 
of  course,  in  addition  to  large  quantities  of  food  presented  by 
the  people  to  their  visitors  in  their  respective  homes.  My  share 
of  this  feast  was  10  large  pigs,  1,000  head  of  taro  and  other 
vegetables,  and  2  large  roots  of  kava.  One  of  my  absent 
daughters,  who  had  been  adopted  by  the  chief  of  the  village, 
and  to  whom  one  of  their  titles  had  been  given,  was  also 
remembered  in  the  division  of  food.  I  could  not  help  con- 
trasting the  state  of  the  people,  and  the  joy  which  they 
experienced  on  this  day,  with  some  of  the  trying  times  which, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  we  experienced  together. 

One  of  my  visits  to  the  Pacific  is  memorable  to  me  as  the 
time  when  I  first  made  an  acquaintanceship,  which  ripened 
into  lasting  friendship  to  the  day  of  his  death,  with  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson.  This  was  in  the  year  1890,  soon  after  I  had 
arrived  in  Sydney  from  my  first  visit  to  New  Guinea.  I  was 
at  that  time  the  Special  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Conference  to  Tonga  ;  and  as  it  was  deemed  desirable  that 
I  should  at  once  proceed  to  that  group,  I  left  on  the  first 
opportunity,  and  sailed  for  Tonga  in  the  S.S.  Lubeckt  leaving 
Sydney  on  September  4,  1890.  Mrs.  Brown  accompanied  me. 
The  only  passengers  were  Rev.  J.  Chalmers  and  wife,  of  New 
Guinea ;  Rev.  —  Hunt  and  wife,  also  of  New  Guinea,  but  now 
returning  to  Samoa ;  and  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  and  wife — 
a  name  so  familiar  that  it  seems  quite  out  of  place  to  put 
the  prefix  "  Mr."  I  need  not  say  that  we  had  a  very  pleasant 
time  on  board.  The  weather,  I  believe,  wag  rough,  though 
I  have  no  recollections  of  it  myself,  and  take  it  for  granted 
that  Chalmers  and  Stevenson  were  right  in  their  judgment  in 
this  respect.  I  only  know  that,  rough  or  not,  I  thoroughly 
enjoyed  the  passage.  I  have  seen  notices  in  print  from 
Chalmers,  Stevenson,  and  Hunt,  of  the  voyage,  but  content 


A   SAMOAN   YOUNG   WOMAN. 


SAMOA  63 

myself   with   reproducing   those   which   are   now   available    to 
me. 

Chalmers,  in  a  letter  dated  September  26,  1890,  says  :  "  We 
met  the  Hunts  in  Sydney,  and  accompanied  them  in  the  German 
steamer  to  Apia.  We  had  rather  a  rough  passage  here,  and 
were  thirty  hours  behind  time.  Louis  Stevenson  and  his  wife 
were  on  board,  and  we  enjoyed  the  trip  well.  They  have 
bought  400  acres  of  land  behind  Apia,  and  are  going  to 
squat.  George  Brown,  of  the  Wesleyan  New  Guinea  Mission, 
with  his  wife,  was  also  with  us,  and  you  may  be  sure  the 
smoking-room,  the  best  place  in  the  ship,  was  well  patronised. 
We  called  at  Tonga,  but  did  not  see  the  King,  now  98  years 
old.  We  visited  the  College,  and  were  much  pleased  with  the 
students  and  their  work." 

Chalmers  again,  in  the  sketch  of  his  wife,  gives  a  fuller 
account  of  the  meeting  with  Stevenson  :  "  We  spent  some  time 
in  Sydney,  and  then  were  off  to  the  Islands.  We  had  as 
fellow-passengers  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Stevenson  on  their  way 
back  to  Samoa.  We  had  a  very  rough  passage,  but  the 
smoking-room  was  well  patronised,  and  we  spent  many  happy 
hours  in  it  with  our  new  friends.  Dr.  Brown  and  Mrs.  Brown, 
of  New  Britain,  were  also  with  us.  Oh  !  the  story-telling  of 
that  trip.  Did  that  smoking-room  on  any  other  trip  ever 
hear  so  many  yarns  ?  Brown  surpassed  us  all,  and  the  gentle 
novelist  did  well.  His  best  stories  were  personal.  My  dear 
wife  often  said  :  '  How  gentle  and  lovable  he  is !  Just  one 
to  nurse.'  He  was  in  very  bad  health,  and  was  well  nursed 
and  cared  for  by  his  clever  wife.  We  were  the  only  passengers, 
and  the  events  of  the  voyage  must  have  made  an  impression 
on  all  of  us." 

Stevenson,  writing  to  his  mother  in  September  1890,  from 
the  S.S.  Lubeck,  between  Sydney  and  Tonga,  three  days  out, 
says  :  "  We  have  a  very  interesting  party  on  board  :  Messrs. 
Chalmers  and  Hunt,  of  the  London  Society,  and  Mr.  Brown  of 
the  Wesleyan.  Chalmers  and  Brown  are  pioneer  missionaries, 
splendid  men,  with  no  humbug,  plenty  of  courage,  and  the 


64  GEORGE    BROWN 

love  of  adventure  :  Brown,  the  man  who  fought  a  battle  with 
cannibals  at  New  Britain,  and  was  so  squalled  over  by  Exeter 
Hall  ;  Chalmers,  a  friend  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Swan.  ...  I  have 
become  a  terrible  missionaryite  of  late  days :  very  much 
interested  in  their  work,  errors,  and  merits.  Perhaps  it's  in  the 
blood,  though  it  has  been  a  little  slow  in  coming  out.  No, 
to  be  sure,  I  always  liked  the  type.  Chalmers,  a  big,  stout, 
wildish-looking  man,  iron-grey,  with  big  bold  black  eyes,  and 
a  deep  straight  furrow  down  eack  cheek.  ALtat  forty  to  forty- 
five." 

I  think  Stevenson  had  been  somewhat  prejudiced  against 
missionary  work.  He  had  either  formed  his  opinions  from 
statements  made  to  him  by  prejudiced  parties,  or  he  had  seen 
only  some  unfavourable  examples  of  the  work  which  has  been 
accomplished.  We  never  discussed,  so  far  as  I  can  remember, 
the  necessity,  expediency,  or  obligation  of  missionary  work 
amongst  the  heathen.  Chalmers,  Hunt,  and  I,  of  course,  took 
all  this  for  granted,  and  assumed  that  Stevenson  did  the  same, 
not  trying  to  convert  him  by  argument,  but  giving  him  facts 
from  our  own  experience,  and  illustrating  our  work  by  some 
of  the  incidents  of  our  every-day  life.  Many  of  those  which 
to  us  appeared  very  commonplace  appealed  very  strongly  to 
Stevenson's  sympathies,  and  he  often  pointed  out  the  bearing 
of  some  of  them  upon  the  great  problems  of  life.  We  all  felt 
the  better  for  our  free  and  friendly  intercourse  and  exchange 
of  thought,  and  I  think  that  the  letter  to  his  mother  quoted 
above  shows  that  a  great  change  took  place  in  Stevenson's 
estimate  of  missionary  work.  To  myself  personally  he  was 
most  kind,  and  it  has  always  been  a  source  of  great  regret 
to  me  that  I  was  not  able  to  avail  myself  of  his  great  wish 
to  write  the  story  of  my  life.  I  would  very  gladly  have 
taken  advantage  of  his  very  kind  offer ;  but  both  he  and  I  felt 
that  it  was  utterly  impossible  at  the  time,  owing  to  the  many 
engagements  which  I  then  had.  I  never  forget  his  saying 
to  me  at  the  close  of  one  of  our  conversations :  "  Well,  Brown, 
if  we  cannot  do  it  now,  we  must  just  wait ;  but  I  want  to  tell 


SAMOA  65 

you  that  if  at  any  time  I  can  help  you  in  any  way  by  the  use 
of  the  gifts  which  God  has  given  me— and  folks  say  that  I  have 
some  gifts  for  writing — I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  to  place 
the  best  I  have  at  your  disposal."  Needless  to  say,  I  thanked 
him  very  sincerely.  I  met  him  from  time  to  time  afterwards 
when  I  visited  Samoa,  where  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  natives.  He  asked  my  advice  on  several 
occasions  with  regard  to  the  people  amongst  whom  he  lived, 
and  I  was  very  glad  indeed  to  talk  to  him  about  them.  I  saw 
him  at  his  own  home  in  Samoa  for  the  last  time  about  a  year 
before  his  death.  He  knew  that  I  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Samoan  people,  and  sent  me  a  copy  of  his  book,  A  Footnote 
to  History ',  in  which  he  has  written  :  "  Dear  Brown,  Please 
accept  this  attempt  to  tell  the  truth,  from  yours  sincerely, 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson."  Needless  to  say,  this  is  one  of  the 
treasures  of  my  library. 


NEW    BRITAIN 


Ill 

NEW   BRITAIN 

AFTER  fourteen  years'  residence  in  Samoa  we  left  that  District 
for  Sydney.  Two  of  our  children  had  already  proceeded  to 
New  Zealand  for  education.  On  our  arrival  in  Sydney  I 
brought  the  matter  of  extending  our  missionary  operations  in 
the  Pacific  before  the  Board  of  Missions  at  the  first  possible 
opportunity.  I  had  for  some  years  past  urged  the  consideration 
of  this  matter  by  the  Board,  and  I  had  also  written  letters  on 
the  same  subject  to  the  Fiji  District ;  but  the  way  had  not  yet 
been  opened.  On  my  arrival,  however,  I  commenced  to  agitate 
the  matter  on  every  possible  occasion.  As  a  result,  a  meeting 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  Missions  was  held  on  September 
9,  1874.  The  Minutes  of  that  meeting  are  as  follows  : 

"  The  Rev.  George  Brown,  late  of  Samoa,  addressed  the 
Committee  respecting  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  New 
Britain  or  New  Ireland,  etc.,  and  after  an  earnest  consideration 
of  the  subject,  the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously 
agreed  to  : 

"  i.  That  this  meeting  has  listened  to  Mr.  Brown's  statements 
with  very  great  interest,  and  believes  that  the  financial  position 
of  the  Australasian  Wesleyan  Methodist  Missionary  Society  is 
now  such  as  to  justify  the  enlargement  of  its  sphere  of 
operations. 

"  2.  That  the  meeting  regards  with  favour  the  proposal  to 
send  the  missionary  ship  John  Wesley,  on  her  next  voyage  in 
March  or  April  of  1875,  to  visit  the  large  islands  of  New 
Britain  and  New  Ireland,  with  a  view  to  the  commencement  of 

69 


70  GEORGE    BROWN 

missionary  operations ;  and  if  upon  inquiry  it  should  still 
appear  that  there  are  openings  of  importance,  and  that  the 
enterprise  is  practicable,  it  will  give  its  sanction  to  the 
undertaking." 

For  the  furtherance  of  the  object  stated,  the  Committee 
asked  me  to  visit  the  respective  Colonies,  to  bring  the  matter 
before  our  people,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  secure  funds  for 
carrying  it  out.  I  had  just  returned  from  Samoa,  and  was 
naturally  anxious  to  settle  my  family  in  New  Zealand  and  to 
see  the  dear  children  we  had  sent  there  ;  but  I  felt  that  this 
was  the  call  of  God  to  me,  and  I  dare  not  refuse  it.  During 
the  next  few  months,  therefore,  I  visited  the  principal  Circuits  in 
New  South  Wales,  Victoria,  Tasmania,  and  New  Zealand,  and 
was  able,  by  God's  blessing,  to  excite  a  considerable  interest  in 
the  minds  of  our  people.  The  first  place  in  which  I  spoke 
after  formal  sanction  had  been  given  by  the  Committee  to  the 
proposal  was  at  Ballarat,  in  Victoria.  Our  meetings  in  Tasmania 
were  very  successful  indeed,  and  whilst  there  I  succeeded  in 
interesting  the  late  Henry  Reed,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Launceston, 
and  found  him  to  be  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  one  of  our 
most  valuable  supporters.  He  was  interested  in  any  scheme  for 
the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom,  and,  as  he  himself  said, 
he  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  great  privileges  of  his  life  that  he 
was  able  to  help  in  the  establishment  of  our  New  Britain 
Mission.  He  promised  to  give  £500  for  a  steam  launch  which 
I  considered  to  be  a  very  necessary  part  of  our  outfit.  The 
Committee  was  much  encouraged  by  the  result  of  our  appeal, 
and  preparations  for  the  first  voyage  were  at  once  commenced. 

I  went  to  New  Zealand,  arriving  there  in  January  1875. 
After  settling  my  wife  and  family  in  Auckland  I  returned  to 
Sydney,  and  made  further  preparations  for  our  voyage.  The 
late  Commodore  Goodenough  and  Lieutenant  Dennison  of 
H.M.S.  Basilisk,  who  had  recently  returned  from  a  marine 
survey  of  the  northern  coast  of  New  Guinea,  very  kindly 
supplied  us  with  the  latest  information  regarding  those  places. 
The  s^eam  launch,  which  we  named  the  Henry  Reed, 


NEW   BRITAIN  71 

obtained,    and    very    careful    consideration    was    paid    to   the 
question   of  supplies  and  articles  for  trade. 

We  left  in  the  John  Wesley  on  April  27,  having  as  fellow- 
passengers  Revs.  Lorimer  Fison  and  Jesse  Carey,  with  their 
respective  families,  and  also  Baron  A.  von  Hugel,  a  European 
naturalist,  and  two  assistants,  who  went  for  the  purpose  of 
making  researches  in  zoology  and  collecting  specimens  in 
natural  history.  We  had  a  fair  passage  of  nineteen  days,  and 
arrived  in  Fiji  on  May  16,  just  after  that  fearful  epidemic  of 
measles,  during  which  about  40,000  of  the  people  perished  from 
the  disease.  The  John  Wesley,  I  think,  was  the  first  ship  which 
was  allowed  free  communication  with  the  shore.  On  our 
arrival  we  found  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  get  the  men 
who  had  been  appointed  to  go  with  us.  Some  were  dead, 
and  others  were  scattered  about  in  different  parts  of  Fiji.  I 
consulted  the  brethren,  and  finally  decided  to  visit  Bau  and 
Navuloa. 

I  started  in  the  Henry  Reed  on  June  26,  with  Brother  A.  J. 
Webb,  who  was  then  stationed  in  the  Rewa  circuit.  We  left 
Bau  at  8  a.m.,  Navuloa  at  10  a.m.,  Rewa  at  3  p.m.,  Davuilevu 
(Rev.  T.  Baker's  old  station)  at  4.20  p.m.,  and  came  to  anchor 
a  little  below  Mr.  Storck's  plantation  at  Viti  at  I  a.m. 

The  Rewa  is  a  fine  river,  and  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  trip 
though  we  heard  sad  tales  of  the  fearful  ravages  caused  by  the 
measles.  At  one  small  village  where  we  landed  we  were  told 
that  more  than  eighty  of  the  inhabitants  had  died.  In  many  of 
the  towns  one-half  of  the  people  were  dead,  and  in  very  few 
indeed  did  the  mortality  fall  below  one-fourth  of  the  inhabitants. 
Whole  villages  were  struck  down  at  once,  so  that  there  was  no 
one  to  dig  the  graves  or  prepare  the  food,  and  starvation  helped 
the  disease  in  its  deadly  work.  We  were  told  of  some  villages 
where  there  was  no  one  to  take  out  the  dead  for  burial,  so  the 
sick  and  the  dying  had  to  scratch  holes  in  the  houses  by  the 
side  of  their  own  beds  in  which  to  cover  up  their  dead.  The 
stench  from  the  houses  was  intolerable,  and  those  who  went 
about  from  day  to  day  among  the  people  on  their  errands  of 


72  GEORGE    BROWN 

mercy  did  their  work  amid  circumstances  which  involved  no 
inconsiderable  amount  of  suffering  and  self-sacrifice  on  their 
part.  Our  missionaries  and  teachers  had  nobly  done  their 
work  during  this  fearful  visitation.  I  felt  proud  of  our 
missionaries  and  their  wives,  and  of  our  noble  band  of 
teachers  in  Fiji.  With  regard  to  the  work  done  by  our 
teachers,  I  can  give  the  testimony  of  a  respectable  planter, 
who  had  the  best  opportunity  for  judging.  He  came  alongside 
the  launch,  and  stayed  with  us  some  time,  telling  us  of  what  he 
had  seen  during  the  prevalence  of  the  epidemic.  I  need  not 
repeat  the  sad  tales  he  told  us,  but  gladly  give  his  testimony  to 
the  faithful  labours  of  one  teacher,  far  away  from  the  missionary 
under  whose  care  he  was  placed.  He  said :  "  I  saw  him  hard 
at  work  every  day.  One  day  I  watched  him  as  he  buried  six 
of  his  people,  and  noticed  as  he  buried  the  last  one  that  he 
himself  was  scarcely  able  to  move  about  from  weakness  and 
exhaustion  ;  but  he  kept  manfully  at  his  work."  The  kind  heart 
of  the  planter  was  touched  with  the  sufferings  and  manifest 
weakness  of  the  poor  fellow,  and  he  had  a  fowl  killed,  and  sent 
it  over  to  him  to  strengthen  him  a  little.  I  believe  most  of 
the  planters  and  merchants  did  all  they  could  to  help  the 
natives.  They  made  perhaps  no  very  great  profession  of 
affection  for  the  Fijians,  but  the  true  English  heart  ever  melts 
at  the  sight  of  suffering,  and  is  ever  ready  to  respond  to  an 
appeal  for  help  ;  and  so  it  was  in  Fiji. 

Of  the  missionaries  themselves  I  do  not  care  to  say  much  ; 
but  I  can  tell  of  one  who,  with  his  own  family  sick,  with  a  large 
town  stricken  down  at  once  to  attend  to,  had  to  work  day  and 
night  to  minister  to  their  wants  until  his  own  stock  of  stores 
was  expended ;  and  but  for  the  kind  help  of  one  of  the 
Government  officials,  he  and  his  family  would  have  suffered 
from  hunger.  I  can  tell  of  another  missionary  who,  when  there 
was  no  one  in  the  town  able  to  dig  the  yams,  went  into  the 
bush  himself,  dug  the  yams,  brought  them  home,  and  cooked 
them  for  his  starving  people.  I  can  tell  of  his  having  to  watch 
them  day  by  day  to  keep  them  from  injuring  themselves 


NEW   BRITAIN  73 

through  their  own  ignorance — one  day  having  to  go  and  drag 
a  poor  half-maddened  Fijian  woman  from  a  waterhole  into 
which,  in  her  despair,  she  had  rushed,  in  the  vain  hope  of 
cooling  her  fevered  body.  I  can  tell  of  one  good  lady  (the  wife 
of  the  one  just  named)  who  was  away  washing  a  poor  little 
motherless  Fijian  baby,  and  returned  home  only  to  find  that 
one  of  her  own  dear  little  ones  had  died  in  her  short  absence. 
I  can  tell  of  another  missionary  who  went  from  house  to  house 
visiting  the  sick,  and  almost  compelling  them  to  take  the 
medicines  with  which  he  supplied  them,  when  he  himself  was  so 
weak  with  his  long-continued  labours  that  one  of  the  few  young 
men  who  were  not  attacked  had  to  accompany  him  with  a  chair, 
on  which  to  sit  while  he  attended  to  the  wants  of  the  people. 
But  why  multiply  instances  when  every  mission  station,  and 
almost  every  village  in  Fiji,  could  furnish  similar  proofs  that  the 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  self-denying  love  was  as  apparent 
then  as  it  ever  was  in  the  old  days  of  heathenism  ? 

As  we  went  on  our  way  up  the  river  we  met  a  messenger 
bringing  a  letter  from  one  of  the  native  ministers  to  Mr.  Webb. 
The  writer  was  stationed  amongst  some  of  the  mountain  tribes, 
who  had  but  recently  made  a  profession  of  Christianity.  In 
addition  to  the  sad  news  that  1,072  had  died  in  the  section 
under  his  immediate  charge,  we  were  told  of  some  towns  whose 
people,  under  the  influence  of  superstition,  and  imagining  that 
this  fearful  scourge  was  sent  as  a  punishment  for  abandoning 
the  religion  of  their  fathers,  had  driven  away  their  teachers 
and  returned  to  heathenism ;  and  of  one  town  where  the 
teacher  having  died  they  buried  his  wife  and  child  alive  in 
the  same  grave.  These  were  dreadful  tales  to  hear  as  we 
steamed  up  that  beautiful  river  ;  but  we  were  comforted  by 
the  recollection  of  the  many  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  amongst 
these  people,  by  the  assurance  that  many  of  those  who  were 
dead  had  manifested  the  power  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  both 
in  life  and  in  death,  and  by  the  sure  and  certain  trust  that 
God  could  make  even  this  severe  trial  an  instrument  of  good 
both  to  whites  and  to  Fijians,  to  ministers  and  to  people. 


74  GEORGE    BROWN 

I  shall  not  soon  forget  our  midnight  voyage.  It  was  a 
fine  clear  night,  and  the  calmly  flowing  river  reflected  in  a 
most  lovely  manner  the  shadows  of  the  trees  and  of  the  hills, 
around  the  bases  of  which  it  flowed  on  its  way  to  the  sea.  The 
silence  was  unbroken,  except  by  the  fierce  puffing  of  our  little 
launch  as  she  belched  forth  flame  and  smoke,  to  the  surprise 
and  admiration  of  the  natives,  and  especially  of  some  who  were 
sitting  in  front  of  their  town,  and  who  suddenly  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  night  by  a  most  weird,  unearthly  yell,  as  we 
passed  close  by  them,  which  was  repeated  with  interest  as  the 
engineer  sounded  the  shrill  steam  whistle  for  their  amusement. 

On  our  way  down  the  river  we  passed  close  to  Beard  Rock 
— so  called  because  any  young  Fijian  who  wished  to  have  his 
face  ornamented  with  a  good  flowing  beard  could  have  his 
wish  gratified  by  rubbing  his  chin  long  enough  and  hard 
enough  on  the  face  of  the  rock.  Just  after  we  passed  that 
place  we  met  a  canoe  paddling  up  the  river,  and  Mr.  Webb 
called  out  to  me  :  "  See,  there's  Aisea  Nasikai,  one  of  the 
two  teachers  who  escaped  when  Mr.  Baker  and  party  were 
murdered "  ;  and  then  the  tale  was  told  how  the  poor  fellow 
rushed  into  the  reeds  when  he  was  struck,  and  crouched  down 
there,  hearing  the  talk  of  the  murderers  as  they  mutilated  the 
dead  bodies.  So  nearly  was  he  discovered  that  one  of  the 
men  who  were  looking  for  him  actually  stood  upon  his  foot. 
Whilst  he  was  hiding  he  heard  the  men  calling  out  for  a  light 
with  which  to  fire  the  reeds,  in  order  to  drive  him  out,  but 
fortunately  they  went  away  without  carrying  their  purpose 
into  effect.  A  few  miles  farther  down  we  passed  one  of  the 
boats  of  H.M.S.  Blanche,  and  exchanged  salutations  with 
Captain  Simpson,  R.N.,  and  some  of  his  officers  who  were 
going  up  the  river.  And  so  the  past  and  the  present  came 
very  vividly  before  us — old  cannibal  Fiji,  with  the  yells  of  the 
murderers  and  the  beat  of  the  death-drums  almost  sounding 
in  our  ears,  and  a  Crown  colony  of  Great  Britain,  the  peaceful 
mission  of  the  survey  ship,  and  the  quiet  homes  of  the  planters 
pn  the  river's  banks, 


NEW   BRITAIN  75 

Next  day  (28th)  we  reached  Bau,  calling  at  Navuloa  on 
our  way.  On  June  I  we  held  our  meeting  at  Navuloa  with 
the  missionaries  and  native  ministers,  and  I  afterwards  met 
the  students.  I  shall  never  forget  that  meeting.  The  late 
Rev.  Joseph  Waterhouse  was  the  principal  of  Navuloa  at  the 
time.  When  the  bell  was  rung  for  the  meeting  we  went 
into  the  large  school-hall,  which  was  but  dimly  lighted  by  a 
few  small  lights.  Mr.  Waterhouse  and  I  sat  on  the  teachers' 
platform  as  the  students  assembled.  Many  of  them  were  pale 
and  haggard  from  the  ravages  of  the  terrible  epidemic  through 
which  they  had  passed.  I  stood  up,  and  can  honestly  say 
to-day  that  not  one  single  thing  was  hidden  from  them.  I 
told  them  of  what  God  had  put  it  into  my  heart  to  do.  I 
told  them  that  the  men  who  had  been  appointed  to  go  with 
me  could  not  now  be  obtained,  and  that  I  had  come  with  the 
consent  of  the  missionaries  to  bring  the  matter  before  them. 
I  told  them  all  that  we  knew  of  the  place,  and  of  the  character 
of  the  people  who  lived  there  ;  of  the  ferocity  of  the  natives  ; 
of  the  unhealthy  character  of  the  climate ;  that  they  would 
be  exposed  to  dangers  on  every  hand  ;  that  in  all  probability 
many  of  them  would  never  see  their  own  Fijian  homes  again. 
I  warned  them  also  that  they  might  be  left  there  alone  without 
any  white  missionary  to  look  after  them,  as  up  to  that  time 
I  had  not  decided  to  act  contrary  to  the  instructions  which 
I  received  in  Sydney,  to  return  at  once  in  the  John  Wesley.  I 
assured  them  that  we  could  not  take  the  responsibility  of 
appointing  any  one  to  go ;  but  that  the  decision  must  rest 
entirely  with  them  ;  that  if  no  one  volunteered  we  should  not 
in  any  way  blame  them,  but  that  if  any  of  them  were  willing 
to  go  we  should  be  very  thankful.  I  repeat  again,  the  whole 
matter  was  placed  before  them  in  its  blackest  and  darkest 
colours.  At  the  close  of  my  address  I  asked  if  any  were 
willing  to  volunteer,  but  at  this  point  Mr.  Waterhouse  rose 
and  said  :  "  No !  Young  men,"  he  went  on,  "  you  have  heard 
what  Mr.  Brown  has  told  you,  but  I  do  not  think  you  ought 
to  answer  his  question  to-night.  Go  home  and  put  the  whole 


76  GEORGE    BROWN 

matter  before  God  in  prayer  for  His  guidance.  Consult  also 
with  your  wives  and  with  your  friends,  and  then  after  this 
time  for  calm  and  quiet  consideration,  come  again  to-morrow, 
and  we  will  take  your  answer  then." 

Next  morning  we  gathered  together  again  in  the  hall,  and 
Mr.  Waterhouse  put  the  matter  fully  before  them,  and  then 
asked  if  any  were  willing  to  volunteer  ;  and  I  am  sure  it  ought 
to  be  remembered  to  the  honour  of  our  Fijian  students  that 
every  one  of  the  eighty-three  present  expressed  his  willingness 
to  go.  It  was  a  most  impressive  scene,  one  which  I  can  only 
very  inadequately  describe,  but  which  left  an  impression  on 
my  mind  which  continues  unto  the  present  day. 

We  selected  six  of  the  married  men  and  three  of  the 
single  men.  Good  old  Joel  Bulu  gave  them  a  very  stirring 
address,  and  there  was  a  deep  and  solemn  feeling  in  the 
meeting  as  he  told  them  of  his  own  experiences  in  the  days 
gone  by  in  Fiji,  exhorting  them  to  put  their  trust  in  the 
same  God  who  had  watched  over  and  protected  the  missionaries 
and  teachers  in  their  labours  in  this  land,  and  who  had  so 
signally  blessed  them  in  their  work.  He  finished  by  pointing 
them  to  the  glorious  reward  which  awaited  the  faithful  soldiers 
of  the  Cross. 

After  all  our  preparations  had  been  made  for  leaving  on 
June  12,  we  heard  a  rumour  to  the  effect  that  the  Government 
were  going  to  throw  some  obstacles  in  our  way ;  and  when 
Captain  Mansell  went  to  clear  the  ship  at  the  Customs  he 
was  told  that  he  could  not  do  so  that  day.  On  the  afternoon 
of  that  day  a  gentleman  waited  upon  me  with  a  letter  from 
the  Colonial  Secretary,  inviting  me  to  meet  His  Honour  the 
Administrator  of  the  Government  at  the  Executive  Council 
Chambers,  Nasova,  with  the  Fijians  who  had  been  appointed 
to  accompany  me.  I  replied  at  once,  stating  that  I  should 
be  very  glad  to  take  them  to  Government  House  the  following 
morning  at  1 1  a.m. 

In  the  meantime  we  heard  that  two  gentlemen  connected 
with  the  Government  had  gone  to  the  teachers  «m<4  aske4 


NEW  BRITAIN  77 

them  whether  they  were  going  of  their  own  free  will,  how 
much  salary  they  were  getting,  etc.,  etc.  ;  and  finished  up 
by  asking  them  if  there  were  no  heathens  in  Fiji  to  convert. 
This  was  the  account  given  to  us  by  the  natives.  The  gentle- 
man who  brought  me  the  letter  told  me  that  he  was  one 
of  those  who  had  been  sent  to  the  teachers,  but  he  wished 
me  to  understand  that  they  had  only  gone  in  obedience  to 
orders,  as  the  Government  wished  to  know  from  the  natives 
themselves  on  what  conditions  they  were  being  sent. 

I  had  previously  determined  in  my  own  mind  how  I  would 
act  in  any  negotiations  with  the  Government,  so  I  simply 
stated  that  I  was  very  glad  indeed  that  the  Government 
manifested  such  a  kindly  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  natives. 
I  also  said  that  I  was  very  glad  that  they  had  obtained  the 
testimony  of  the  teachers  in  such  an  independent  way,  as 
they  must  now  be  certain  that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to 
have  prepared  them  for  such  an  examination,  as  we  had  not 
the  slightest  suspicion  that  the  Government  intended  to  move 
in  the  matter.  I  told  him  also  that  whilst  we  were  glad  that  they 
had  seen  the  teachers,  I  as  an  individual  thought  that  they 
might  have  manifested  their  confidence  and  shown  a  little 
simple  courtesy  by  informing  us  of  their  interview.  He  seemed 
to  feel  this  to  be  true. 

At  1 1  a.m.  next  day  I  attended  at  the  Government  buildings 
with  the  teachers.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the  Executive 
Council  Chambers  and  was  composed  of  His  Honour  the 
Administrator,  Messrs.  Thurston,  Horton,  Bentley,  Frazer, 
Ratu  Mele,  Ratu  Tevita,  Scott  (interpreter),  Secretary  of 
Council,  myself,  and  the  nine  teachers.  I  was  very  kindly 
received,  and  had  a  chair  given  me  next  to  Mr.  Layard.  He 
told  me  that  the  reason  why  the  Government  wished  to  meet 
the  teachers  and  myself  was  that  reports  were  being  circulated 
that  the  men  were  not  volunteers,  that  they  were  being  kept 
in  ignorance  of  the  real  facts  of  the  case,  and  that  as  they 
were  now  British  subjects  the  Government  considered  them- 
selves to  be  responsible  for  them,  and  therefore  wished  to 


;8  GEORGE    BROWN 

have  the  whole  matter  fully  explained  to  them.  He  also  told  me 
that  he  had  a  dispatch  from  home  which  positively  forbade 
any  Fijians  being  taken  away  to  other  groups,  though  he 
scarcely  thought  that  that  dispatch  was  meant  to  apply  to 
such  a  case  as  this. 

I  replied  by  giving  a  short  account  of  the  history  of  the 
mission  up  to  the  present  time.  I  told  them  of  the  selection 
of  the  first  lot  of  volunteers,  of  the  time  which  had  been  given 
for  consideration,  the  number  who  had  volunteered  in  each 
Circuit,  etc. ;  then  of  our  coming  here  and  not  being  able  to 
collect  these  men,  and  so  having  to  make  a  second  call  for 
volunteers.  I  informed  them  that  in  response  to  that  call  the 
whole  of  the  students  in  Navuloa  volunteered  ;  that  we  had 
selected  nine  of  the  number  who  were  now  present,  and  finished 
by  assuring  them  that  no  one  had  spoken  to  the  teachers  on 
the  subject,  and  that  up  to  that  very  moment  they  were  in 
complete  ignorance  of  the  reason  for  their  being  then  present. 

Mr.  Layard  then  addressed  the  teachers  through  the  in- 
terpreter, and  told  them  that  they  must  remember  that  they 
were  now  British  subjects ;  that  no  missionary  or  any  one  else 
had  any  right  to  compel  them  to  go  to  any  place  where 
they  themselves  did  not  wish  to  go ;  that  they  were  free  to 
go  and  free  to  stay ;  that  he  was  responsible  for  their  safety ; 
that  if  any  of  them  went  away  now  and  got  killed  and 
eaten,  the  Government  here  would  be  blamed  by  the  Home 
Government,  and  so  he  wished  to  tell  them  himself  all  about 
the  countries  to  which  they  were  being  taken,  and  then  to 
hear  from  them  their  own  opinion  and  wishes.  He  then  told 
them  about  the  people — that  they  were  great  cannibals  and 
very  fierce;  that  the  islands  were  very  unhealthy,  so  that  almost 
every  one  that  went  there  suffered  much  from  fever  and  ague; 
that  food  might  be  very  scarce,  and  that  although  we  might 
take  food  with  us,  yet  it  was  not  the  food  to  which  Fijians 
were  accustomed.  He  told  them  that  they  would  be  left  alone, 
without  protection  or  support,  for  some  months,  and  asked  them 
to  consider  the  matter,  and  if  after  hearing  what  had  been  told 


NEW    BRITAIN  79 

them  they  still  wished  to  go,  he  would  not  prevent  them,  but 
would  wish  them  Godspeed. 

I  confess  that  after  hearing  the  address  given  by  His 
Honour  the  Administrator,  I  felt  some  degree  of  alarm.  I 
know  natives  well,  and  I  knew  that  the  reasons  given  against 
their  going  were  such  as  were  most  likely  to  influence  them 
to  remain.  It  was,  for  instance,  touching  the  Fijian  on  a  very 
tender  spot  when  he  was  told  that  in  all  probability  food 
would  be  extremely  scarce,  and  that  the  biscuits  and  rice 
which  we  were  taking  would  be  both  unsuitable  and  insufficient 
for  his  maintenance.  It  was  also  a  very  strange  thing  to  say, 
as  was  virtually  said,  that  the  diseases  prevalent  in  the  land 
to  which  they  were  going  were  far  worse  than  that  terrible 
epidemic  which  they  had  just  passed  through.  But  perhaps 
the  most  powerful  of  all  reasons  to  a  native  mind  for  not 
going  was  that  he  might  probably  die  away  from  his  own 
home.  There  is  nothing  which  a  native  dreads  more  than 
this  ;  and  I  have  often  known  them,  when  almost  in  the  article 
of  death,  plead  to  be  taken  back  to  their  own  homes,  that  they 
might  die  there. 

After  consultation  together,  the  teachers  asked  if  they  were 
to  reply  individually,  or  if  one  should  speak  for  them  all. 
Mr.  Layard  said  that  if  they  had  appointed  one  to  speak  he 
could  do  so,  or  they  could  all  speak  if  they  wished.  They 
were  placed  at  a  different  part  of  the  room,  and  away  from 
the  place  where  I  was  sitting,  so  that  there  was  no  consultation 
between  us.  After  they  had  conferred  together  Aminio  Bale 
stood  up,  and  with  deep  feeling  thanked  His  Honour  for 
the  remarks  which  he  had  made  to  them.  He  went,  in  native 
fashion,  over  the  whole  of  His  Honour's  address,  thanking 
him  for  each  particular  item  of  information,  and  for  the  advice 
which  he  had  tendered  to  them.  He  then  said  :  "  We  wish, 
however,  to  inform  your  Honour  that  this  is  no  new  thing  to 
us.  Mr.  Brown  told  us  all  that  you  have  told  us  about  the 
character  of  the  people,  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate,  and 
the  dangers  we  will  probably  have  to  encounter.  No  one 


8o 

appointed  us  to  go.  We  were  simply  asked  whether  we 
would  volunteer.  Mr.  Waterhouse  also  told  us  that  we  were 
free  to  go,  or  free  to  remain,  and  that  no  disgrace  would 
be  incurred  by  us  if  we  decided  to  remain  in  Fiji.  After 
consultation  we  decided  to  volunteer,  and  we,  sir,  are  very 
thankful  to  God  that  we  have  been  selected  for  this  great 
work,  and  our  comrades  at  Navuloa  are  sad  at  heart  to-day 
that  they  are  not  able  to  go  with  us."  And  then,  in  words 
which  I  shall  never  forget,  he  added  :  "  We  wish  also  to  thank 
Your  Excellency  for  telling  us  that  we  are  British  subjects, 
and  that  you  take  such  an  interest  in  us,  and  that  if  we  wish 
to  remain  you  will  take  care  that  we  are  not  taken  from  our 
homes  in  Fiji.  But,  sir,  we  have  fully  considered  this  matter 
in  our  hearts  ;  no  one  has  pressed  us  in  any  way ;  we  have 
given  ourselves  up  to  do  God's  work,  and  our  mind  to-day, 
sir,  is  to  go  with  Mr.  Brown.  If  we  die,  we  die  ;  if  we  live, 
we  live." 

My  heart  was  full  as  I  heard  this  noble  fellow  speak  out 
so  well,  and  his  reply  evidently  made  a  good  impression  ;  but 
Mr.  Layard  began  again  telling  them  of  the  hardships  endured 
by  the  London  Missionary  Society's  teachers  in  New  Guinea, 
and  read  extracts  from  the  Morning  Herald  of  May  8,  with 
the  accounts  of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  teachers  and  their 
wives. 

Here  I  thought  that  it  was  time  for  me  to  speak,  and  so 
I  told  His  Honour,  in  as  quiet  and  polite  a  manner  as  I  possibly 
could,  that  I  thought  he  was  only  frightening  the  natives 
unnecessarily  ;  that  the  dangers  of  the  work  were  being  put 
before  the  teachers,  not  as  possible  contingencies,  nor  even  as 
probable  ones,  but  as  absolute  certainties.  I  pointed  out  that 
there  was  a  great  difference  between  the  mangrove  flats  of 
New  Guinea  and  the  islands  to  which  we  were  first  going  ; 
that  food,  so  far  from  being  scarce,  was  plentiful  indeed,  and 
of  the  same  description  as  in  Fiji,  and  quoted  as  my  authority 
Captain  Simpson,  of  H.M.S.  Blanche^  then  in  port,  Captain 
Ferguson,  Lieutenant  Sanders,  etc. 


NEW  BRITAIN  81 

Mr.  Thurston  here  addressed  the  teachers  by  His  Honour's 
request,  and  made  an  excellent  speech,  saying  that  he  quite 
concurred  in  what  I  had  just  said  about  the  teachers  being 
frightened,  that  he  could  substantiate  my  statements  about 
the  plentiful  supply  of  food,  as  several  gentlemen  had  told 
him  about  the  immense  terraces  of  New  Britain  cultivated 
by  the  natives  and  full  of  all  kinds  of  food.  He  said,  also, 
that  it  was  quite  true  that  the  Duke  of  York  Island  was 
probably  healthy,  though  he  believed  that  on  both  the  larger 
islands  there  would  be  plenty  of  fever  and  ague ;  but  this 
should  not  stand  much  in  the  way,  as  in  seven-tenths  of  the 
world  we  can  find  plenty  of  that  disease.  He  said  that,  with 
his  Honour's  permission,  he  would  put  the  matter  again  before 
the  teachers.  This  he  did,  dwelling,  however,  more  particularly 
on  the  assurance  that  the  Government  did  not  wish  to  hinder 
them,  but  only  to  protect  them,  and  to  be  able  to  assure 
the  Home  Government,  in  case  any  of  them  got  killed,  that 
they  went  of  their  own  free  will,  and  knowing  well  the  dangers 
to  which  they  were  exposed. 

He  then  said  that  His  Honour  wished,  after  this  further 
explanation,  that  each  man  should  answer  for  himself  as  to 
whether  the  matter  was  quite  clear  to  them  ;  and  it  did  my 
heart  good  to  hear  the  noble  fellows  say  in  loud  tones,  and 
with  an  accent  that  carried  conviction  to  all :  "  It  is  all  perfectly 
clear  to  us.  Sa  macala  saka." 

Mr.  Layard  asked  me  about  terms  of  service,  payment,  etc., 
to  which  I  replied  by  saying  that  when  they  were  ill,  or  when 
from  any  other  cause  it  was  deemed  right  for  any  of  them  to 
return,  we  considered  ourselves  pledged  to  bring  them  back 
to  Fiji.  As  to  payment,  they  went  on  the  same  footing  as 
our  other  teachers  placed  in  similar  circumstances,  but  that 
as  soon  as  ever  it  was  practicable  the  people  would  be  expected 
to  support  them.  A  document  was  then  produced,  which  they 
were  asked  to  sign.  A  translation  was  read  to  them,  and  they 
all  replied:  "It  is  all  right,"  or  "It  is  all  clear  to  us."  The 
following  is  a  copy  : 

6 


82 

"  We,  the  undersigned  Wesleyan  teachers,  do  solemnly  and 
truly  declare  that  we  were  fully  and  carefully  informed  by  the 
promoters  of  the  mission  to  New  Britain,  New  Ireland,  etc., 
of  the  dangers  which  may  be  incurred  to  life  and  limb  from 
the  cannibal  propensities  of  the  natives  of  those  islands  and 
the  insalubrious  nature  of  the  climate,  which  produces  fever 
and  ague,  and  diseases  of  that  character.  We  also  were  fully 
acquainted  with  the  discomforts  we  may  undergo  from  want 
of  the  food  to  which  we  are  accustomed,  and  from  not  being 
able  to  speak  the  language  of  the  people,  among  whom  we 
should  be  left  without  protection  or  support  for  some  months  ; 
and  we  declare  that,  fully  knowing  all  this,  we  make  an  election 
to  proceed  on  this  mission  of  our  own  free  will,  not  compelled 
thereto  by  any  orders  or  authority  of  any  one,  but  simply 
desirous  of  spreading  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
among  the  heathen  inhabitants  of  those  islands. 
"DEPARTMENT  OF  NATIVE  AFFAIRS, 
"NASOVA,/#»*  12,  1875." 

After  a  little  general  conversation,  and  an  expression  of 
goodwill  and  kind  wishes  from  Mr.  Layard,  the  meeting 
adjourned. 

With  regard  to  this  action  taken  by  the  Government,  I 
scarcely  know  what  to  say.  Most  people  at  the  time  spoke 
of  it  as  a  vexatious  interference  and  a  manifestation  of  petty 
spite ;  but  I  did  not  look  upon  it  in  that  light.  Mr.  Layard 
certainly  seemed  at  one  time  to  be  trying  to  frighten  the 
teachers  against  going,  and  I  protested  against  it ;  but  whether 
he  really  wished  to  stop  them  or  not  was,  I  think,  very  doubtful. 
I  myself  gave  the  Government  credit  for  sincerity  in  the  matter. 
They  had  instructions  from  home  to  look  after  and  protect 
the  Fijians ;  and  probably  believed  that  we  were  going  to 
sacrifice  our  men  in  some  fanatical  way  ;  and  as  they  knew 
that  if  any  Fijians  were  murdered  in  the  islands  to  which  we 
were  taking  them,  there  would  be  an  inquiry  made  into  the 
matter,  as  they  were  then  British  subjects,  they  would  naturally 


NEW   BRITAIN  83 

desire  to  be  in  a  position  to  prove  that  all  due  precautions 
were  taken  by  them  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  people  whom 
they  were  appointed  to  govern. 

We  were  detained  four  weeks  in  Fiji,  owing  principally  to 
difficulties  connected  with  the  Customs  Department,  which  was 
not  then  in  proper  working  order.  I  was  naturally  impatient 
to  get  away,  but  in  the  light  of  past  experience  I  felt  that  it 
was  all  ordered  aright.  Had  we  got  away  from  Sydney  at 
the  time  first  appointed,  or  had  our  passage  been  a  shorter  one 
than  it  was,  we  should  have  arrived  in  Fiji  before  the  termination 
of  the  epidemic,  would  not  have  been  allowed  to  communicate 
with  the  shore,  and  might  have  been  compelled  to  abandon 
the  voyage  to  New  Britain  for  that  year.  In  a  letter  which 
I  wrote  to  the  General  Secretary  at  the  time  I  said :  "  We 
have  got  a  fine  lot  of  men.  I  really  wonder  how  they  stood 
that  ordeal  before  the  Government,  which  was  a  most  trying 
one  to  them  ;  yet  they  passed  through  it  nobly.  Mr.  Layard 
said  to  me  after  it  was  over  that  it  was  most  satisfactory,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  Executive  Council  seemed  to  be  of 
that  opinion.  Every  day  as  any  of  our  teachers  passes  along 
the  beach  some  '  friend  of  missions '  laughs  at  them,  and 
tries  to  frighten  them.  '  Are  you  one  of  the  fellows  going  to 
the  new  land  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  Oh !  oh  !  oh !  what  a  fool  you  are. 
You  will  be  killed  and  eaten  most  certainly,'  etc.  It  is  really 
wonderful  that  some  of  them  do  not  get  faint-hearted  about 
it ;  but  they  only  smile  when  these  remarks  are  made."  We 
got  away  finally  on  June  15,  1875,  and  arrived  at  Samoa  on 
June  30. 

We  intended  just  to  go  into  the  harbour  of  Saluafata,  but 
the  Rev.  J.  E.  Mathieson  came  over  to  us  in  a  boat,  and  said 
that  we  were  not  allowed  to  land  there  on  account  of  our 
coming  from  Fiji  so  recently  after  the  epidemic  of  measles 
there.  We  had  consequently  to  go  on  to  Apia  for  medical 
inspection.  The  medical  officer  boarded  us  outside,  and  granted 
pratique.  After  taking  on  board  two  Samoan  teachers  with 
their  wives,  and  two  of  my  old  boys  who  went  with  me,  we 


84  GEORGE    BROWN 

left  Samoa  and  arrived  at  Rotuma  on  Friday  July  23,  after 
a  passage  of  three  and  a  half  days.  Here  we  were  joined  by 
Rev.  W.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  and  family,  who  decided  to  go  with 
us  on  their  way  to  Sydney. 

At  Rotuma  I  decided  to  depart  from  the  instructions  which 
I  had  received  in  Sydney,  to  return  in  the  John  Wesley  after 
leaving  the  teachers  in  New  Britain.  I  did  this  after  full 
consideration,  as  I  determined  that  it  should  never  be  said 
that  we  placed  Fijians  and  Samoans  in  any  place  where  we 
were  afraid  to  remain  ourselves.  I  had  of  course  made  no 
provision  for  staying,  but  I  purchased  a  whale-boat  in  Rotuma 
and  a  few  boards,  whilst  Mr.  Fletcher  kindly  gave  me  one  or 
two  old  doors  and  sashes. 

We  left  Rotuma  on  Saturday,  July  31.  During  the  whole 
of  the  passage  from  Fiji  to  New  Britain,  and  for  a  long  time 
afterwards,  I  was  in  very  poor  health,  and  suffered  very  much 
from  a  very  painful  chronic  inflammation  of  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  bowels.  It  is  difficult  for  me  to  write  much 
about  this  matter  ;  but  as  this  is  the  story  of  my  life  it  is 
scarcely  right  to  omit  all  mention  of  it.  I  suffered  very  severely, 
and  often  felt  very  much  depressed  in  mind.  It  was,  I  think, 
the  feeling  of  the  great  responsibility  which  was  placed  upon 
me,  and  a  strong,  earnest  longing  to  see  the  work  which  I  had 
taken  in  hand  carried  through,  by  God's  blessing,  which  enabled 
me  to  continue  my  work.  I  find  in  my  diary  constant  allusions 
to  this  matter.  When  passing  through  the  Solomons  I  wrote 
on  August  ii:  "I  feel  very  weak,  and  often  get  very  low- 
spirited,  fearing  lest  this  sickness  should  hinder  my  work.  I 
hope  to  be  guided  aright.  They  are  beginning  to  say  on  board 
that  I  ought  not  to  stay  behind,  but  my  way  seems  quite  clear 
to  do  so  yet.  I  do  not  fear  any  ill  results,  and  sometimes 
when  they  are  brought  to  my  mind  I  seem  to  regard  the  idea 
of  even  dying  there  with  a  strange  degree  of  complacency." 

On  August  20  I  wrote  after  our  arrival  in  New  Britain  :  "  Not 
very  well  again  to-day.  I  do  so  wish  that  I  was  stronger  and 
healthier.  There  is  a  fine  field  of  usefulness  here,  and  I  long 


NEW   BRITAIN  85 

to  labour  for  Christ ;  but  these  attacks  all  seem  to  weaken  me 
a  good  deal."  Almost  every  day  has  its  record  regarding  this 
complaint,  but  occasionally  I  felt,  of  course,  worse  than  at 
other  times. 

On  September  I  r  I  must  have  been  feeling  very  dull,  for  I 
wrote :  "  I  do  so  wish  that  I  was  well  and  strong.  I  want 
to  work  for  God,  but  feel  kept  down  by  this  sickness.  Oh ! 
for  faith  to  recognise  God's  loving  hand  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances.  I  feel  much  depressed  sometimes." 

Again  on  September  15:"  Still  far  from  well  all  day.  I  tried 
hard  to  do  some  work  for  the  sake  of  exercise,  but  could  not 
do  much.  I  managed  to  saw  some  battens  in  the  morning, 
but  had  to  rest  after  dinner."  Then  follows  a  description  of  my 
illness  and  the  medicine  taken,  and  then  I  wrote :  "  Oh !  how  I 
feel  the  want  of  my  dear  wife  when  I  am  so  unwell.  I  feel  such 
a  longing  to-day  to  have  her  near  me.  Still,  I  feel  that  I  am 
doing  what  is  right,  and  God  is  with  us."  It  is  painful  for  me 
to  write  of  this,  but  it  may  be  of  use  to  others,  as  showing  the 
necessity  in  these  tropical  climates  of  fighting  to  the  last 
against  the  depressing  effects  of  sickness.  It  would,  I  am  sure, 
have  been  quite  easy  for  me  to  have  lain  down  and  died,  but 
I  felt  I  could  be  of  more  use  in  the  world  by  living,  and  I 
determined  by  God's  blessing  to  do  so. 

During  our  passage  we  had,  of  course,  regular  services  on 
board,  and  I  think  it  well  here  to  give  an  outline  which  I  took 
at  the  time  of  a  sermon  preached  by  Elimotama,  one  of  our 
Fijian  teachers,  on  August  8,  whilst  we  were  passing  the  Solomons 
group.  He  preached  from  Romans  xv.  20  and  21  :  "  Yea,  making 
it  my  aim  so  to  preach  the  Gospel,  not  where  Christ  was  already 
named,  that  I  might  not  build  upon  another  man's  foundation  : 
but  as  it  is  written,  They  shall  see  to  whom  no  tidings  of  Him 
came :  and  they  who  have  not  heard  shall  understand."  After  a 
brief  introduction,  in  which  he  spoke  of  St.  Paul's  history,  of 
the  time  when  this  letter  was  written,  and  of  the  condition  of 
the  people  to  whom  it  was  sent,  he  treated  his  subject  under 
three  divisions.  He  first  spoke  of  St.  Paul's  way,  dwelling 


86  GEORGE    BROWN 

particularly  on  the  fact  that  it  was  a  way  marked  out  for  him 
by  God,  not  a  path  of  his  own  choosing,  not  an  appointment 
given  him  by  men,  but  that  God  called  him  to  his  work,  and 
told  him  what  to  do,  and  how  to  do  it ;  that  his  path  or  work 
was  that  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  He  then  drew  an  analogy 
between  our  present  circumstances  and  those  in  which  the 
apostle  was  placed,  saying  we  also  are  like  St.  Paul  in  these 
respects.  Our  path  has  been  marked  out  for  us  by  God  ;  we 
have  not  been  appointed  or  ordered  to  do  this  work  by  the 
missionaries  or  by  the  teacher's  meeting,  but  God  has  called  us, 
God  has  told  us  what  to  do,  and  He  still  shows  us  the  way  in 
which  we  are  to  walk.  We  have  not  chosen  this  work  simply 
of  ourselves,  but  God's  Spirit  tells  us  to  walk  in  this  path  and 
preach  the  Gospel. 

His  second  division  was,  that  St.  Paul's  path  or  work  was  a 
new  path.  He  showed  that  the  apostle  went  to  preach  to 
those  who  had  never  before  heard  the  Gospel :  others  had  to 
preach  to  the  Jews,  but  St.  Paul's  work  was  that  of  a  missionary. 
And  are  not  we,  he  asked,  the  missionaries  and  teachers  on  board 
this  ship,  like  St.  Paul  ?  There  are  plenty  still  left  behind  in 
Fiji  and  Samoa  to  preach  to  the  people  there,  but  ours  is  a 
new  path,  ours  is  a  new  work.  We  go  to  a  heathen  land 
and  to  a  heathen  people,  to  tell  them  about  Jesus  and  the 
Gospel. 

His  third  division  was,  that  St.  Paul's  path  or  work  was  the 
path  of  the  Book,  the  meaning  of  which,  as  explained  by  him, 
was,  that  it  was  a  work  which  God  had  promised  in  the  Book 
should  be  accomplished.  He  showed  that  God  had  promised 
that  the  Gentiles  should  be  partakers  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel,  and  that  St.  Paul  was  simply  an  instrument  in  the  hand 
of  God  in  carrying  out  His  own  purposes,  and  bringing  about 
the  fulfilment  of  His  promises.  And  then,  in  true  Polynesian 
style,  he  applied  this  part  also  to  themselves,  assuring  his 
hearers  that  they  also,  in  going  on  this  mission,  and  doing  this 
work,  were  but  instruments  in  God's  hand  for  carrying  out  His 
own  purposes  of  love  and  mercy  to  the  heathen  amongst  whom 


NEW   BRITAIN  87 

they  were  going.     Then,  with  a  few  earnest  words  of  encourage- 
ment and  counsel,  he  concluded  his  discourse. 

I  give  this  outline  as  a  fair  sample  of  the  style  of  a  native 
teacher's  sermon,  and  also  as  showing  most  satisfactorily  the 
knowledge  they  possessed  of  the  work  in  which  they  were 
entering,  and  the  spirit  in  which  they  engaged  in  it.  When  the 
teacher  sat  down  I  gave  out  a  hymn  in  Samoan,  founded  on 
the  words  of  that  old  favourite, 

"Oh  happy  day  that  fixed  my  choice," 

which  the  Samoans  sang,  and  I  then  gave  them  a  short  address 
in  their  own  language.  In  the  afternoon  the  Fijian  service  was 
held  again,  and  in  the  evening  Mr.  Fletcher  met  the  Rotumans 
for  prayer,  etc.,  and  afterwards  preached  in  English  to  passengers 
and  crew.  And  so  the  Sunday  passed  away.  We  had  services 
on  board  in  four  different  languages,  in  which  the  same  glorious 
Gospel  was  proclaimed  and  the  same  plan  of  salvation  set  forth. 
On  Saturday,  August  14,  we  saw  the  land,  and  by  I  p.m. 
were  well  within  St.  George's  Channel.  A  large  square-rigged 
vessel  was  in  sight  right  ahead,  which  we  conjectured  to  be  the 
barque  Sydney,  Captain  Woodhouse.  New  Ireland  was  close 
to  us  on  our  right  hand,  whilst  away  on  the  left  stretched  out 
the  large  island  of  New  Britain.  And  so  at  last  we  were  in 
sight  of  the  islands  we  had  so  long  hoped  to  see  ;  there  were 
the  fields  where  we  hoped  to  labour,  and  there  dwelt  the  men 
to  whom  we  were  bringing  the  glorious  Gospel  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  with  all  its  privileges  and  blessings,  and  with  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  it  entails  upon  those  who  receive  it.  As  I 
looked  at  those  large  islands  I  had  many  strange  and  solemn 
thoughts  about  the  mission  in  which  we  were  engaged.  I  tried 
to  think  of  the  work  which  we  were  going  to  do,  and  wondered 
what  trials  we  should  have  to  bear,  and  what  joy  and  gladness 
would  be  ours ;  how  many  fights  and  how  many  victories 
were  before  us ;  how  long  it  would  be  before  the  people  there 
received  the  Gospel  and  rejoiced  in  the  assurance  of  a 
Saviour's  love. 


88  GEORGE    BROWN 

The  teachers,  of  course,  were  all  excited,  but  I  did  not 
observe  the  slightest  sign  of  cowardice  or  regret  at  the  step 
they  had  taken.  Not  one  of  them,  I  believe,  felt  any  doubts 
as  to  the  final  issue  of  the  work  in  which  we  were  engaged. 
'Twas  not  will  these  people  receive  the  Gospel,  but  when  will 
they  do  so  ?  'Twas  not  will  the  enemy  be  vanquished,  but  how 
many  battles  have  to  be  fought,  and  how  many  will  find  a 
soldier's  grave  there  before  the  victory  is  gained  and  the  victors' 
reward  secured  ? 

At  8  p.m.,  as  we  were  concluding  family  prayer,  the  officer 
on  watch  knocked  on  the  deck  to  call  the  captain,  and  we  at 
once  guessed  that  some  canoes  were  coming  off  from  New 
Ireland  ;  and  on  going  on  deck  we  found  a  canoe  almost  along- 
side. The  natives  seemed  to  be  very  suspicious,  and  it  was 
some  little  time  before  we  could  reassure  them,  and  get  them 
on  board.  They  sold  us  a  little  pig,  and  seemed  disposed  to 
be  friendly.  We  took  one  of  them  down  into  the  cabin, 
and  by  a  few  little  presents  made  friends  with  all  of  them. 
They  were  quite  naked,  and  not  at  all  prepossessing. 

On  Sunday,  August  15,  we  made  sail  early;  but  having 
little  wind,  several  canoes  from  New  Ireland  came  off  to  trade. 
We  gave  them  a  few  little  presents  but  refused  to  trade. 
Barque  Sydney  was  in  close  company  with  us.  At  1.36  p.m. 
we  anchored  in  Port  Hunter,  Duke  of  York  Island,  and  very 
soon  had  a  great  number  of  natives  on  board,  all  eager  to  trade. 
We  had  to  explain  to  them  that  on  that  day  we  could  neither  buy 
nor  sell,  and  they  soon  understood  our  meaning.  We  found 
all  the  tales  we  had  heard  about  them  confirmed  by  our  actual 
experience.  Not  one  of  all  those  who  came  on  board  had  a 
single  article  of  clothing  or  any  covering  whatever.  Looking 
around  the  cove  we  could  see  no  houses,  but  it  was  soon  evident 
that  there  must  be  a  large  number  of  people  living  close  to  us. 
Topulu  (alias  King  Dick),  the  principal  chief,  came  on  board 
in  the  afternoon,  and  seemed  quite  at  home.  His  Majesty  the 
King  was  not  distinguishable  from  any  of  his  subjects  by  any 
costly  apparel  or  regal  attire  ;  in  fact,  a  bead  ornament  about 


NEW    BRITAIN  89 

his  neck,  and  a  rattle  of  shells  hanging  over  his  back,  con- 
stituted at  once  the  whole  of  his  dress  and  his  insignia  of 
royalty. 

In  the  afternoon  we  held  our  first  service  on  this  island. 
One  of  the  Fijians  preached,  and  Mr.  Fletcher  and  I  concluded 
the  service.  Many  of  the  people  were  on  board,  and  watched 
our  proceedings  with  quiet,  respectful  interest.  In  the  evening 
we  had  English  service  on  deck,  as  it  was  a  calm,  still  night, 
and  with  the  intense  heat  in  the  cabin  the  poop  was  decidedly 
preferable.  And  so  closed  our  first  Sunday  in  the  new  mission. 
As  I  walked  the  deck  after  service,  the  silence  and  stillness 
of  a  tropical  night,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  shout  from 
inland,  by  the  mournful  cry  of  some  night  bird,  or  by  the  splash 
of  the  large  fish  playing  around  the  ship,  I  thought  much  of 
God's  love  manifested  to  us  throughout  the  voyage,  and  my 
heart  was  filled  with  gratitude  to  Him  for  His  watchful  pro- 
vidence and  care  over  us  in  the  past,  with  earnest  desires  to  do 
the  work  He  had  given  us  to  do,  and  with  an  assured  trust 
that  He  would  still  be  with  us  and  would  bless  us.  I  realised 
that  He  had  certainly  been  with  us  in  the  past,  and  had  caused 
all  things  to  work  together  for  good.  Had  we  left  Sydney 
when  we  first  intended  to  do  so  our  mission  could  not  have 
been  begun  that  year,  as  we  should  not  have  been  able  to 
procure  teachers.  As  it  was,  however,  we  reached  Fiji  just 
when  the  measles  had  so  far  abated  as  to  render  teachers 
available.  And  then  those  long  detentions  and  many  hindrances 
on  the  voyage,  what  did  they  all  mean  ?  They  certainly  made 
me  feel  very  plainly  that  I  must  remain  behind  with  the 
teachers,  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  I  definitely  decided  to 
do  so.  I  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  leaving  them  alone 
in  that  strange  land,  more  especially  as  there  was  no  sufficient 
time  to  make  adequate  arrangements  for  locating  them  in 
villages  and  under  the  assured  protection  of  the  chiefs,  as  we 
at  first  intended  to  do.  I  fully  and  fairly  considered  all  that 
could  be  urged  against  the  step,  especially  as  regarded  the  state 
of  my  own  health,  the  position  of  my  wife  and  children  in  New 


90  GEORGE    BROWN 

Zealand,  the  claims  they  had  upon  me,  as  well  as  the  amount 
of  physical  labour  to  be  done,  and  the  risks  to  be  run  in  visiting 
the  large  islands  ;  and  still  it  seemed  clearly  to  be  my  duty  to 
remain  behind. 

Monday  and  the  following  days  were  spent  in  examining 
the  different  sites  suggested  for  a  mission  station,  in  which  work 
Mr.  Fletcher  gave  me  valuable  assistance.  It  was  of  course 
thought  very  desirable  to  secure  Topulu's  favour,  and  he 
naturally  wished  the  missionary  to  be  stationed  in  his  own 
village  ;  but  we  found  that  though  the  harbour  of  Makada,  on 
which  he  lived,  was  a  much  more  capacious  one  than  Port 
Hunter,  with  far  better  water  close  at  hand,  yet  the  site  appeared 
to  be  low  and  unhealthy.  We  finally  decided  to  fix  the  station 
on  a  fine  high  piece  of  land  in  Port  Hunter,  in  which  Topulu 
had  also  an  interest.  This  we  bought,  and  got  a  properly 
executed  conveyance  for  it  from  Topulu,  Waruwarum  and 
Naragua.  Having  to  pay  separately  the  three  claimants  for 
the  land,  the  aggregate  price  paid  was  more  than  it  was  really 
worth,  but  we  all  felt  it  best  to  let  the  natives  see  that  we 
wished  to  act  fairly  and  honestly  with  them.  Topulu  wanted 
a  musket  and  ammunition  instead  of  the  goods  given  him  ; 
but  we  explained  to  him  that  such  articles  could  not  be  supplied 
by  us,  and  he  was  well  satisfied  with  our  explanation. 

On  Thursday  we  commenced  preparing  the  land  for  the 
erection  of  the  house.  The  natives  were  very  friendly,  and 
some  of  them  were  willing  to  help  us  with  the  work.  I  had  two 
men  pointed  out  to  me  that  morning  who  were  slaves.  They 
told  me  that  they  belonged  to  bushmen  who  lived  in  the 
interior  of  the  island.  They  said  that  these  bushmen  covered 
themselves  with  leaves,  and  so  well  did  they  conceal  themselves 
that  though  they  might  be  standing  close  at  hand  it  was 
impossible  to  distinguish  them  from  the  surrounding  bush.  It 
will  give  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  these  people  when  I 
state  that  they  appeared  to  live  in  continual  dread  of  attack. 
They  never  went  far  away  from  their  houses  without  taking  their 
fighting  tomahawks  with  them,  and  we  could  not  get  them  to 


NEW    BRITAIN  91 

the  other  side  of  the  cove  for  water  or  ballast  unless  they  were 
guarded  by  some  one  from  the  ship. 

We  had  that  morning  our  first  intimation  of  the  existence 
of  secret  societies  here.  We  invited  Waruwarum  and 
Naragua  to  breakfast,  and  they  ate  heartily,  but  absolutely 
refused  to  taste  pork.  They  told  us  that  it  was  "tabu"  for  them 
to  touch  it,  and  we  found  out  afterwards  that  they  were  thus 
forbidden  because  they  belonged  to  a  society  called  Iniat,  an 
account  of  which  I  shall  give  later  on.  On  walking  through 
the  small  village  -scattered  round  the  bay  we  were  all  much 
pleased  with  the  cleanliness  of  some  of  the  houses ;  but  they 
were  very  miserable  structures,  most  of  them  being  only  eight 
feet  long  by  five  feet  wide,  and  very  low.  There  was  about 
room  for  two  people  to  lie  down  on  the  ground,  with  a  bit  of 
fire  between  them.  They  had  no  mats  except  a  few  made  of 
plaited  cocoanut  leaf,  and  the  general  bed  was  a  bit  of  board 
consisting  of  the  side  of  some  old  canoe.  The  women  and 
children  were  all  friendly,  and  many  of  the  latter  seemed  bright 
and  intelligent. 

On  Sunday  the  22nd  we  had  a  very  quiet  day,  which  was 
a  great  relief  after  the  noise  and  excitement  of  the  week.  We 
had  requested  the  people  on  the  Saturday  not  to  come  on 
board,  and  we  had  very  little  trouble  in  keeping  the  ship  clear. 

The  following  days  were  spent  in  house-building.  The 
rough  timber  was  cut  in  the  bush  by  some  of  the  crew  and 
our  Fijian  and  Samoan  teachers,  with  occasional  assistance 
from  the  natives.  Grass  for  thatch,  small  posts  and  battens  for 
the  walls,  were  purchased  from  the  natives.  The  house  when 
completed  was  thirty-two  feet  long  by  fifteen  feet  wide,  and  in 
this  one  room,  for  some  time,  were  all  our  stores,  eight  teachers, 
with  their  wives,  children,  and  luggage,  besides  ourselves.  I 
had  to  swing  my  hammock  to  the  ridge  pole,  and  climb  up 
to  it  by  means  of  the  boxes  and  cases,  whilst  the  teachers 
and  their  families  camped  down  as  best  they  could  amongst 
the  cases  underneath. 

On  Tuesday,  August  21,  we  left  Port  Hunter  at  10  a.m. 


92  GEORGE    BROWN 

with  a  fine,  fair  wind,  and  anchored  at  Blanche  Bay,  just  off 
Matupit,  at  2.15  p.m.  Our  arrival  there  caused  great  excitement 
in  the  whole  of  the  Bay,  as  ships  were  very  rarely  seen  there. 
The  island  off  which  we  anchored  had  a  very  evil  reputation 
in  the  group.  The  traders  had  made  several  attempts  to 
establish  stations  in  Blanche  Bay,  but  always  failed.  About 
eighteen  months  before  we  landed  two  traders  had  been  stationed 
at  Matupit  by  Messrs.  Goddefroy  of  Samoa.  These  men  had 
a  good  house  and  boats,  and  plenty  of  trade.  They  were, 
however,  able  to  remain  only  a  few  weeks,  and  during  the 
most  of  that  time  they  were  barricaded  in  their  house.  The 
natives  finally  set  fire  to  it,  and  the  two  men  only  escaped 
by  shooting  five  of  them  as  they  fought  their  way  to  the  boat. 
The  people  of  Duke  of  York,  and  many  of  the  neighbouring 
villages  on  New  Britain,  were  especially  afraid  of  those  Matupit 
natives. 

On  Wednesday  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day  there 
were  at  least  from  ninety  to  a  hundred  canoes  alongside,  with 
an  average  crew  of  six  men  in  each.  We  had  hard  work  to 
keep  them  from  crowding  on  board  together,  and  many  of  the 
members  of  our  crew  were  very  frightened  indeed.  They  came 
aft  and  demanded  arms  from  the  captain,  but  these  were  not 
supplied,  and  so  they  mounted  hand  spikes  instead.  Ropes 
were  drawn  across  the  ship,  past  which  natives  were  not  allowed 
to  go.  Topulu  was  employed  by  us  in  purchasing  yams,  pigs, 
etc.,  required  for  the  ship's  use.  We  interviewed  several  of 
the  principal  chiefs,  and  after  first  clothing  each  of  them  with 
a  fathom  of  print,  we  invited  them  down  to  breakfast.  All 
the  natives  here  were  as  naked  as  the  Duke  of  York  islanders. 
We  had  to  employ  Topulu  as  interpreter,  and  it  was  just 
here  that  we  encountered  one  of  our  big  difficulties.  I  soon 
saw  that  he  had  no  desire  whatever  that  we  should  come  to 
Matupit,  or  indeed  to  any  part  of  New  Britain.  He,  like  all 
Polynesians,  was  evidently  very  jealous  of  anything  being  done 
which  would  give  any  other  chiefs  any  greater  importance  than 
they  already  possessed,  as  that  would,  in  his  opinion,  detract 


NEW   BRITAIN  93 

from  his  own  position  and  lessen  his  influence.  Then  again 
it  was  from  New  Britain  that  he  drew  a  large  portion  of  his 
supplies  of  food,  and  the  tortoise-shell  which  he  sold  again 
to  the  ships  calling  at  Duke  of  York  ;  so  the  old  man  was 
not  at  all  anxious  for  any  ships  to  go  to  Blanche  Bay,  and 
did  his  best  to  frighten  any  captains  from  doing  so.  He  well 
knew  that  Blanche  Bay  was  a  much  better  harbour  than  Port 
Hunter,  that  supplies  were  much  cheaper,  and  were  much 
more  easily  obtained  there ;  and  he  was  shrewd  enough  to  see 
that  if  the  place  was  made  safe  for  ships  they  would  prefer 
to  go  there  and  buy  for  themselves,  and  so  he  himself  would 
suffer.  That  he  was  quite  right  in  this,  the  present  position 
of  Matupit  as  compared  with  Port  Hunter  is  abundant  proof. 
No  vessel  ever  goes  near  the  latter  port,  but  Matupit  is  now 
the  centre  of  a  very  large  trade,  and  the  fine  steamers  of  the 
N.D.L.  berth  at  its  large  wharf  every  month. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  Mr.  Fletcher  and  I  landed  on 
Matupit,  and  walked  round  the  island.  The  people  received 
us  very  kindly,  and  gave  us  some  fish  and  taro.  Topulu  would 
not  risk  the  walk  with  us,  but  preferred  to  stay  in  the  chiefs 
house.  He  had  been  visiting  Blanche  Bay  and  the  neighbour- 
hood for  many  years,  but  never  before  had  he  dared  to  land 
at  Matupit,  and  most  certainly  would  not  have  done  so  had 
he  not  come  in  our  company.  The  chief  who  accompanied  us 
round  the  island  noticed  this  and  said  :  "  Missionary  no  come 
Matupit,  ah !  Topulu  he  no  come.  Missionary  come,  oh  ! 
Topulu  he  come.  He  go  house  belong  Matupit."  Such  is  a 
sample  of  the  best  kind  of  English  that  was  then  spoken  there 
by  the  few  who  knew  it.  Matupit  was  very  thickly  populated, 
and  seemed  to  be  a  very  healthy  island.  Captain  Ferguson 
told  me  that  it  was  a  comparatively  recent  upheaval,  as  some 
of  the  oldest  men  remembered  the  time  when  no  such  island 
existed.  This  was,  I  think,  confirmed  by  the  size  of  the 
cocoanut  trees,  as  they  were  all  young  trees,  and  appeared  to 
have  been  planted  about  the  same  time.  There  had  recently 
been  a  considerable  sinking  along  the  shore,  amounting  to 


94  GEORGE   BROWN 

more  than  six  feet  in  some  places,  so  that  it  could  scarcely 
be  considered  to  be  a  very  safe  dwelling  place.  We  saw  plenty 
of  women  and  children,  and  noticed  particularly  the  almost 
entire  absence  of  elephantiasis  and  the  loathsome  scaly  disease 
which  prevailed  so  much  at  Duke  of  York  Island.  I  often 
wondered  whether  the  small  number  of  cases  of  elephantiasis 
was  in  any  way  owing  to  the  people  chewing  the  betel-nut  so 
much.  I  do  not  remember  hearing  of  the  disease  being  very 
prevalent  among  any  people  who  chewed  the  nut ;  but  whether 
it  is  a  preventive  or  not,  I  cannot  say. 

On  Thursday,  September  2,  Mr.  Fletcher,  Mr.  Walters,  and 
I  started  in  the  launch  for  Nodup,  a  village  of  which  Tobula, 
one  of  the  men  we  met  on  board,  was  chief.  We  went  inland 
to  several  of  the  villages,  but  in  each  case  had  to  sit  outside 
in  the  shade,  as  the  houses  were  neither  large  enough  nor 
clean  enough  for  us  to  sit  inside.  The  enclosures,  however, 
in  which  the  huts  stood  were  in  all  cases  scrupulously  clean. 
Whilst  we  were  in  the  village,  on  the  beach  a  quarrel  took 
place  between  the  people  of  two  villages,  and  at  once  spears, 
slings,  and  stones  were  at  work,  and  the  women  and  children 
were  flying  inland  out  of  the  way.  Some  of  our  party  were 
considerably  alarmed,  and  one  of  them  in  particular  was  very 
anxious  that  we  should  make  a  rush  down  to  the  boat,  and 
get  away  from  such  a  dangerous  place.  I,  however,  could  see 
no  sense  in  trying  to  get  through  such  a  crowd,  as  they  were 
between  us  and  the  boat.  There  was  no  great  damage  done, 
I  believe,  only  one  man  being  wounded  by  a  spear.  The 
incident,  however,  in  addition  to  others  which  we  had  seen,  quite 
decided  one  of  our  party  never  to  trust  himself  ashore  in  New 
Britain  again,  and  he  never  did. 

On  our  return  to  the  vessel  we  found  a  good  many  of  the 
crew  very  anxious  to  get  away,  as  they  were  not  at  all  pleased 
with  the  appearance  and  conduct  of  the  people,  and  I  had 
to  speak  very  strongly  on  the  matter.  Some  of  them  were 
inclined  to  treat  the  men  who  crowded  on  board  very  roughly, 
there  was  too  much  anxiety  to  secure  curios,  and  in  some 


NEW   BRITAIN  95 

instances  very  little  was  given  in  return.  This,  I  saw,  was 
making  the  people  angry.  During  the  night  some  of  the 
natives  came  off,  unknown  to  those  on  board,  and  made  a  lot 
of  hieroglyphics  in  chalk  on  the  bows  of  the  ship.  Next 
morning  when  these  were  seen  some  of  our  crew  were  very 
much  concerned  as  to  what  they  meant,  and  as  to  what  con- 
sequences might  ensue,  and  they  were  again  very  anxious  to 
get  away.  The  matter  was  getting  serious  ;  and  I  was  quite 
satisfied  that  if  the  natives  saw  that  we  were  all  so  frightened 
of  them  when  we  were  together,  and  in  a  large  ship,  it  might 
make  it  very  dangerous  for  me  when  the  others  left  for  Sydney  ; 
and  I  told  them  so  very  decidedly.  The  captain  asked  me 
at  night  when  we  should  return  to  Port  Hunter,  and  I  told 
him  in  the  morning,  which  seemed  to  give  great  satisfaction. 
About  2  a.m.,  however,  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  I  woke  up 
and  heard  the  anchor  being  got  up,  and  the  launch  with  steam 
up  ready  to  start.  I  asked  the  captain  why  such  haste  was 
being  made.  He  replied  that  I  had  told  him  that  we  should 
go  next  morning.  "  Yes,"  I  said,  "  but  not  before  daylight, 
at  any  rate."  He  still  persisted  in  going  at  once,  and  then 
I  had  to  tell  him  that  if  he  determined  to  go  I  would  at 
once  go  ashore  and  stay  behind.  I  did  this  because  I  had 
promised  two  chiefs  that  if  they  came  on  board  early  in  the 
morning  I  would  give  them  each  a  present ;  and  as  I  had  always 
made  it  a  rule  never  to  break  my  word  with  a  native,  I 
determined  that  I  certainly  would  not  begin  then.  I  attribute 
a  good  deal  of  the  influence  which  I  have  had  over  natives 
to  the  strict  observance  of  this  rule.  The  matter  was,  however, 
finally  settled  by  sending  a  boat  on  shore  to  wake  up  the  chiefs 
and  bring  them  off  to  the  ship,  and  I  gave  them  the  present 
I  had  promised.  We  started  just  about  dawn,  and  reached 
Port  Hunter  at  3  p.m.,  having  been  towed  over  all  the  way 
by  the  steam  launch.  Our  good  friend  Captain  Ferguson  called 
on  us  there,  and  very  kindly  supplied  both  the  John  Wesley 
and  myself  with  stores. 

On  Monday,  September  6,  the  John  Wesley  left  us,  having 


96  GEORGE    BROWN 

been  in  the  group  about  three  weeks.  Up  to  the  time  of  her 
leaving,  neither  of  the  men  who  had  been  engaged  in  Sydney  to 
help  us  with  the  launch  and  boats  would  consent  to  remain.  They 
had  been  very  much  frightened  at  the  appearance  of  the  natives. 
I  had  just  finished  my  business  matters  with  Captain  Mansell, 
and  was  on  my  way  up  from  the  cabin  to  go  into  the  boat,  when  I 
met  an  old  sailor  called  Jack  Holmes.  He  asked  me  who  was 
going  to  stay  with  me,  and  I  replied, "  No  one."  He  said,  "  Well, 
if  no  one  will  stay,  I  will  stop."  So  I  returned  to  the  captain, 
and  asked  him  if  he  would  allow  old  Jack  to  remain.  He  replied, 
"  Yes."  I  then  very  gladly  told  Jack  to  go  and  get  his  things 
ready,  and  put  them  in  the  boat  which  was  alongside.  Jack 
went  at  once,  and  as  I  found  out  afterwards,  he  not  only  put 
his  own  things  in  jthe  boat,  but  a  great  many  other  things 
which  were  not  his  at  all.  He  laid  hands  on  paints,  brushes, 
canvas,  rope,  needles,  and  a  whole  lot  of  other  things  belonging 
to  the  ship,  which  he  thought  would  come  in  useful,  and  quietly 
passed  them  over  the  side  whilst  the  captain  was  down  below. 
The  most  difficult  thing  that  he  had  to  hide  was  a  big  vice, 
but  he  succeeded  in  taking  this  also.  I  was  no  partner  in  the 
transaction,  but  I  was  very  thankful  many  a  time  afterwards 
that  Jack  had  used  his  opportunity  so  well.  When  we  got  the 
John  Wesley  outside  we  left  her,  and  she  started  for  Sydney  with 
a  fine  fair  wind.  I  must  confess  that  when  we  saw  her  leaving, 
knowing  as  we  did  that  we  were  being  left  behind  among  such 
a  people,  and  that  there  was  no  probability  of  our  being  visited 
again  for  twelve  months,  I  had  some  very  solemn  thoughts.  I 
thought  of  my  wife  and  children  and  other  loved  ones  in  the 
homeland,  and  wondered  if  ever  I  should  see  them  again.  We 
watched  the  ship  until  she  was  round  Waira  Point  and  out  of 
sight,  and  then  went  ashore  to  begin  our  work  alone. 

Captain  Ferguson  was  very  kind  to  us,  and  I  should  like 
here  to  pay  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  of  the  best  men 
that  I  have  ever  known  in  the  Pacific.  Both  in  Sydney  and 
in  New  Britain  he  did  all  that  he  could  for  us,  and  up  to  the  day 
when  he  was  so  cruelly  murdered  by  the  natives  of  Bougainville 


NEW    BRITAIN  97 

Island  I  always  felt  honoured  by  his  friendship.  At  this  time 
he  took  the  steam  launch  in  hand,  got  his  engineer  to  fix  up 
the  engine,  and  to  give  Jack  and  me  some  lessons  in  managing 
it.  I  had  very  few  stores  left  by  the  John  Wesley,  though 
Captain  Mansell  very  kindly  did  the  best  he  could  out  of  his 
short  stock.  Captain  Ferguson,  however,  gave  me  all  he  could 
spare,  and  would  take  no  payment  at  all  except  for  some  tea 
and  flour. 

On  Thursday,  September  9,  Captain  Ferguson  sailed,  and 
so  we  were  left  to  ourselves,  and  began  our  regular  work.  At 
this  stage  it  would  perhaps  be  well  for  me  to  give  a  short 
account  of  the  place  and  people  amongst  whom  we  laboured. 

NEW    BRITAIN    GROUP    (NOW   NAMED    BY    GERMANY    THE 
BISMARCK  ARCHIPELAGO) 

Of  this  fine  group  but  little  was  known  before  the  year 
1875,  when  we  landed  there.  *  Up  to  that  time  no  trustworthy 
information  was  obtainable  either  about  the  place  or  the  people. 
A  trader  called  John  Stevens  had  resided  for  some  little  time 
at  Port  Hunter,  in  Duke  of  York,  and  some  traders  from 
Messrs.  Goddefroy  &  Sons  had  stayed  for  a  few  weeks  on  the 
island  of  Matupit,  in  Blanche  Bay.  At  the  time  of  our  landing 
there  were  no  white  men  living  on  any  part  of  the  group. 

The  New  Britain  Group  is  generally  considered  to  include  the 
two  large  islands  of  New  Britain  and  New  Ireland,  the  small 
group  called  the  Duke  of  York  Group,  New  Hanover,  Sandwich, 
Gerrit  Denys,  St.  John's,  Sir  Charles  Hardy's,  and  Fischer 
Islands,  and  the  Kaan  Group,  with  a  large  number  of  outlying 
islets.  New  Britain  is  separated  from  the  north-east  coast  of 
New  Guinea  by  Rook  Island,  and  a  deep-sea  channel  about 
fifty  miles  wide.  Dampier's  Straits  is  the  name  given  to  the 
channel,  through  which  that  navigator  sailed  in  the  year  1700, 
and  so  proved  that  New  Britain  was  a  separate  island,  and  not 
a  part  of  New  Guinea.  Dampier  called  the  whole  group  by  the 
one  name  of  New  Britain,  and  thought  indeed  that  it  was  only 

7 


98  GEORGE    BROWN 

one  main  island  ;  but  Cartaret  in  1767  discovered  St.  George's 
Bay  (Dampier)  to  be  a  wide  open  strait  varying  from  twenty  to 
thirty  miles  in  width,  which  he  named  St.  George's  Channel. 

The  earliest  distinct  notice  of  the  discovery  of  any  of  the 
New  Britain  Islands  is  to  be  found  in  the  account  of  Le  Maire 
and  Schonten's  Voyages,  in  Dalrymple's  collection.  These 
navigators  left  Texel  June  14,  and  Plymouth  June  28,  1615. 
On  June  24,  1616,  they  sighted  and  named  St.  John's  Island, 
off  Cape  Santa  Maria  in  New  Ireland. 

In  1643  Tasman  saw  St.  John's  Island,  off  New  Ireland,  on 
March  30,  and  Cape  St.  Maria  on  April  i.  He  also  discovered 
Anthony  Kaan  and  Gerrit  Denys  Islands.  New  Ireland  was 
also  visited  by  Commodore  Roggewein  in  1721,  but  no  new 
discoveries  were  made. 

On  Monday,  September  7,  1767,  at  English  Cove,  Gower 
Harbour  (Port  Praslin),  Captain  Carteret,  in  H.M.S.  Swallow, 
"  took  possession  of  this  country,  with  all  its  islands,  bays,  ports, 
and  harbours,  for  His  Majesty  George  III.,  King  of  Great 
Britain,  and  nailed  upon  a  high  tree  a  piece  of  board  faced  with 
lead,  on  which  was  engraved  the  English  Union,  with  the  name 
of  the  ship  and  her  commander,  the  name  of  the  cove,  and  the 
time  of  the  coming  in  and  sailing  out  of  it."  Carteret  also 
discovered  and  named  Duke  of  York  Island,  Cape  Palliser, 
Cape  Stephens,  Man  Island,  Sandwich  Island,  New  Hanover, 
the  Portlands,  and  numerous  other  small  islands. 

Bougainville  followed  Carteret  in  1768,  and  anchored  in 
a  part  of  Gower  Harbour  (Carteret),  which  he  named  Port 
Praslin.  Here  one  of  his  crew  found  a  piece  of  board  faced 
with  lead,  on  which  he  read  the  remains  of  some  English  words, 
from  which  he  rightly  inferred  that  an  English  ship  had  been 
there  previously,  and  on  further  search  they  found  the  remains 
of  the  English  camp,  and  the  tree  on  which  Carteret  had 
nailed  the  board.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  is  a  very  strange  chance, 
by  which  we  among  so  many  lands  came  to  the  very  spot 
where  rival  nations  had  left  a  monument  of  an  enterprise 
similar  to  ours." 


NEW    BRITAIN  99 

There  seems  to  be  no  record  of  any  visit  to  the  group 
from  Bougainville  in  1768  till  Captain  Hunter's  arrival  in  1791. 
This  latter  gentleman  on  his  way  home  from  Sydney  vid 
Batavia,  in  the  Dutch  transport,  Waaksambeyd,  passed  through 
St.  George's  Channel  and  anchored  at  Duke  of  York  Island 
in  a  harbour  which  still  bears  his  name. 

D'Entrecasteaux,  in  his  search  for  the  unfortunate  La 
Perouse,  followed  Hunter,  arriving  in  Port  Carteret  in  1792, 
and  with  his  naturalist  made  some  very  interesting  observations 
then.  He  also  passed  through  St.  George's  Channel  on  his 
way  to  the  Admiralty  Group.  Two  French  discovery  vessels, 
the  Coquille  and  the  Astrolabe,  also  visited  the  group,  the 
former  in  1823  and  the  latter  in  1827. 

These  were  the  principal  visitors  up  to  the  time  of  our 
landing,  though  several  small  trading  vessels  occasionally  called 
at  Duke  of  York  Island  and  Ports  Carteret  and  Praslin  on  New 
Ireland,  for  the  purpose  of  buying  tortoise-shell  and  other 
produce.  The  best  known  amongst  these  were  the  late  Captain 
Ferguson,  who,  as  already  stated,  was  subsequently  murdered 
at  Bougainville  Island,  and  Captain  Brodie,  whose  schooner, 
the  Lavinia,  was  captured  and  burnt,  and  several  men  killed 
at  Port  Praslin,  a  few  months  before  we  landed. 

The  flora  is  principally  of  the  Indo-Malayan  forms,  very 
few  specimens  of  strictly  Australian  types  being  found.  A 
species  of  eucalyptus  was  found  by  us  on  the  banks  of  a 
river  in  Spacious  Bay  ;  but  the  specimens  of  it  were  unfortunately 
lost  in  transmission,  and  so  could  not  be  positively  identified 
by  a  competent  botanist.  The  mountain  sides  are  all  covered 
with  dense  forests  interlaced  with  vines  and  creepers,  and  on 
the  flat  lands  these  are  in  many  parts  so  thick  as  to  be  almost 
impenetrable.  The  shores  of  the  many  inlets  on  the  coast 
are  often  covered  with  mangroves,  but  trees  of  a  very  large 
size  abound  on  the  coast  and  on  the  higher  ranges.  Palms 
of  many  kinds,  ferns,  large  orchids,  tree  ferns,  pandanus, 
bamboos,  rattans,  the  paper  mulberry,  are  also  found,  though 
the  latter  plant  is  not  much  used  by  the  natives.  The  islands 


ioo  GEORGE    BROWN 

are  almost  covered  in  many  places  with  ginger  and  turmeric 
plants,  whilst  the  arrowroot  is  also  very  plentiful.  The 
cocoanut  is  plentiful  in  some  places,  but  along  many  miles 
of  coast  only  a  few  clumps  in  detached  spots  can  be  seen. 
The  root  from  which  the  South  Sea  drink  is  made,  usually 
called  "kava"  ("yaqona"  in  Fiji),  is  found  in  New  Britain,  but 
the  natives  do  not  use  it,  as  they  all  chew  the  betel-nut  They 
cultivate  large  quantities  of  yams,  taro,  sweet  potatoes,  and 
bananas.  The  orange,  lemon,  lime,  custard,  apple,  guava,  and 
Chinese  bananas  were  introduced  by  us  in  1875,  and  fruit  well. 
The  mango  is  indigenous  in  the  group.  Many  very  fine 
varieties  of  crotons,  coleus,  and  draecena  are  found  about  the 
native  houses. 

The  fauna  contains  many  of  the  Northern  Australian  forms 
such  as  the  wallaby  {Macropus  Browni),  the  cuscus,  bandicoot, 
(Perameles  Doreyanus],  the  flying  phalanger  (Belideus  Ariel}  ; 
but  no  echidna  have  as  yet  been  found.  The  wild  pig  is  common, 
as  is  also  a  species  of  dingo,  which,  however,  is  found  only  in 
a  domesticated  state.  Snakes  and  lizards  abound,  some  of 
which  have  not  been  previously  reported  from  any  other 
country.  As  yet  no  venomous  snake  has  been  found,  and  the 
natives  at  the  northern  end  of  the  island  deny  that  any  such 
exist.  Rats  and  bats  are  in  great  variety.  The  avifauna, 
like  that  of  New  Guinea,  partakes  both  of  the  Northern 
Australian  and  Indo-Malayan  character ;  but,  unlike  New 
Guinea,  it  does  not  boast  of  any  specimens  of  the  birds  of 
Paradise.  Previous  to  the  year  1875  but  little  was  known  of 
the  natural  history  of  this  group.  During  the  years  following 
1875  several  collections  were  sent  by  me  to  England,  a 
description  of  which,  by  eminent  naturalists,  will  be  found  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society,  1877-81.  Of  the 
flora  and  fauna  of  the  south  and  south-west  coasts  of  New 
Britain,  however,  but  little  is  as  yet  known. 

The  temperature  ranges  from  78°  to  90°,  very  rarely  indeed 
falling  so  low  as  74° ;  the  average  temperature  all  the  year 
round  is  about  80°.  The  atmosphere  is  very  humid,  and  the 


NEW    BRITAIN  101 

dew-fall  very  great  The  natives  assert  that  the  monsoons 
were  formerly  much  more  regular  than  they  are  now  ;  and  in 
this  opinion  they  agree  with  that  which  is  held  by  the  natives 
and  European  residents  in  Eastern  Polynesia,  who  all  assert 
the  same  of  the  trade  winds  there.  From  December  to  May 
the  weather  is  often  very  squally,  and  the  north-west  monsoon 
prevails.  During  these  months  the  rainfall  is  exceptionally 
heavy,  a  fact  which  particularly  impressed  some  of  the  early 
navigators.  I  have  very  frequently  recorded  a  fall  of  four 
inches  in  as  many  hours.  The  south-east  monsoon  blows 
very  strongly  from  June  to  October,  when  a  few  weeks  of 
variable  weather  precede  the  setting  in  of  the  north-west  weather. 
The  tides  are  very  irregular,  and  seem  to  be  much  affected 
by  the  prevailing  wind  and  currents.  There  is  only  one  tide 
in  the  twenty-four  hours.  The  flood-tide  in  the  channel 
between  New  Ireland  and  Duke  of  York  sets  to  the  north 
along  the  coast  of  the  latter  island,  and  the  ebb  to  the  south. 
During  the  whole  of  the  north-west  monsoon,  or  from  the 
end  of  November  to  the  end  of  April,  the  current  sets  strongly 
to  the  south-east.  During  some  of  these  months,  especially 
January  and  February,  it  is  often  very  strong  indeed,  and 
the  channel  between  Duke  of  York  Group  and  New  Ireland 
is  covered  with  trees,  which,  from  the  number  and  size  of  the 
barnacles  adhering  to  them,  and  the  quantities  of  Crustacea 
and  fishes  in  and  about  them,  must  have  been  a  long  time 
in  the  water.  The  current  changes  during  the  south-east 
monsoon,  setting  north-west  in  that  season. 

The  people  amongst  whom  we  laboured  were  of  the  sub- 
Papuan  or  Melanesian  family,  of  a  black  or  sooty-brown  colour, 
with  frizzly  hair,  which  generally  grows  in  thick,  short,  matted 
curls,  and  is  daubed  with  coloured  clay  or  with  lime.  They  have 
a  fair  amount  of  beard,  and  are  generally  lank  in  form,  and  not 
so  tall  or  well  formed  as  the  Eastern  Polynesians  are.  Their 
language  is  full  and  expressive,  and,  unlike  that  of  the  people 
in  the  eastern  groups,  is  full  of  close  syllables.  The  dialects 
are  very  numerous  indeed,  almost  every  district  having  a 


102  GEORGE    BROWN 

separate  one,  and  these  in  some  instances,  so  far  as  the  vocabu- 
lary is  concerned,  almost  constitute  separate  languages,  as  the 
people  in  some  parts  cannot  be  understood  by  those  living,  it 
may  be,  only  a  very  few  miles  away. 

With  regard  to  the  controversy  as  to  the  origin  of  these 
peoples,  I  can  merely  state  the  conclusions  I  myself  have 
arrived  at.  I  think  it  is  extremely  likely  that  there  was 
originally  one  great  race  occupying  these  different  groups  as  far 
west  as  Borneo,  and  probably  extending  upon  the  mainland 
on  the  side  of  Siam,  the  Malacca  Peninsula,  and  perhaps  as 
far  as  Burmah.  The  traces  of  this  race  are  or  have  been 
found  in  all  the  different  groups,  from  the  black  peoples  found 
in  New  Zealand  by  the  original  Maori  settlers,  and  derisively 
called  by  them  "  black  kumara "  (sweet  potato),  to  Western 
Malaysia,  and  also  on  the  mainland.  In  Malaysia  this  pre- 
Malayan  race,  which  was,  I  think,  of  Turanian  origin,  was 
modified  by  admixture  with  the  Aryan  races  of  the  mainland 
of  Asia,  and  this  constituted  the  present  Eastern  Polynesian 
race,  which  still  retains  so  much  of  its  old  Papuan  element. 
After  this  I  think  it  likely  that  the  emigration  eastwards  set 
in,  probably  caused,  as  Judge  Fornander  states,  by  the  en- 
croachment of  Malay  and  Hindu  immigration.  I  am  of 
opinion,  however,  that  the  Polynesian  is  Papuan,  with  Asiatic 
admixtures,  and  that  there  is  no  difficulty,  either  in  the  language 
or  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people,  in  considering  them 
both  as  descendants  from  one  common  stock,  of  which  the 
Papuan  or  Melanesian  is  the  oldest  representative. 


PIONEER   WORK   IN   NEW   BRITAIN 
AND   NEW    IRELAND 


IV 

PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN 
AND   NEW    IRELAND 

THE  record  of  our  life  during  the  first  two  or  three  years 
is  naturally  an  interesting  one  to  myself,  but  I  think  it  will  be 
more  useful  to  the  general  reader  if  I  give  in  the  first  place 
an  account  of  the  earlier  journeys  we  made  in  connection  with 
the  opening  up  of  our  work,  together  with  some  of  the  incidents 
connected  therewith. 

A  great  difficulty  which  confronted  us  in  those  early  days 
was  the  isolation  in  which  the  people  generally  lived.  It  is 
scarcely  credible  now  that  the  people  of  two  villages  living  so 
close  to  each  other  as  did  the  Outam  and  Molot  people,  who 
were  our  nearest  neighbours,  should  never  have  any  intercourse 
with  each  other.  Outam  was  about  three  miles  from  our 
house,  which  was  quite  close  to  Molot,  and  yet  I  could  not 
for  a  long  time  get  any  of  the  Molot  people  to  go  with  me  to 
Outam,  nor  would  they  dare  to  pass  in  a  boat  along  the  beach  in 
front  of  that  village  except  we  went  a  long  way  out  to  sea.  I  felt 
from  the  very  first  that  one  great  object  of  our  work  would  be 
to  break  up  this  isolation  ;  and  in  doing  this  we  found  the  steam 
launch  Henry  Reed  of  invaluable  service.  The  people  were 
generally  ready  to  go  in  her,  and  when  we  got  them  on  board 
we  took  them  just  where  we  wished  them  to  go.  They  were 
of  course  terribly  frightened,  but  they  soon  found  that  the 
people  with  whom  they  had  been  at  enmity  all  their  lives  were 
not  so  bad  as  they  had  feared  when  they  met  them  on 

105 


io6  GEORGE    BROWN 

neutral  ground.  It  was  often  quite  amusing  to  see  how  their 
mutual  distrust  and  fear  gradually  passed  away  after  they  had 
had  food  and  betel-nut  together. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  a  village  called  Waira,  about  six  miles 
away  from  Port  Hunter.  The  chief,  Liblib,  received  us  very 
well,  and  took  me  all  round  his  villages.  He  professed  to  be 
very  willing  indeed  to  receive  a  teacher,  and  promised  to  visit 
me  and  talk  the  matter  over.  He  showed  me  the  skull  of  the 
previous  chief,  which  he  carefully  preserved  in  his  house.  The 
body  of  the  chief  of  Urukuk,  who  was  killed  in  the  same 
quarrel  in  which  the  boy  Teem  that  I  brought  from  Sydney 
lost  his  life,  I  saw  in  a  tree  just  in  front  of  Liblib's  house ;  in 
fact,  it  was  perceptible  to  smell  as  well  as  to  sight.  They 
bury  the  common  people  at  sea,  but  the  chiefs  are  placed  in 
canoes,  and  hoisted  up  amongst  the  branches  of  some  large  tree. 
It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  us  when  Teem  was  killed,  a 
few  weeks  after  our  arrival.  He  was  a  boy  belonging  to  Port 
Hunter  whom  I  got  from  Captain  Ferguson  in  Sydney,  and  we 
hoped  much  that  he  would  be  of  great  service  to  us  as  an 
interpreter.  I  never  found  out  exactly  what  he  was  killed  for. 

On  September  25  we  started  for  Meoko.  This  is  a  fine 
harbour  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  island.  It  has  now  been  for 
some  years  one  of  the  principal  trading  stations  in  the  group, 
and  it  is  in  this  place  that  our  native  training  institution  at  Ulu 
is  placed.  It  seems  almost  incredible  now  that  our  journey  to  that 
place  was  considered  at  that  time  to  be  so  very  dangerous.  I 
got  our  chief  Waruwarum  to  go  with  me,  and  act  as  interpreter, 
for  the  Meoko  people  spoke  a  different  language  or  dialect  from 
the  Port  Hunter  natives,  and  had  little  or  no  communication 
with  them.  My  crew,  as  usual,  were  very  frightened,  and  as 
they  positively  refused  to  land,  I  hoped  that  a  white  man  who 
was  in  our  party  would  land  with  me  ;  but  he  also  refused,  and 
so  real  appeared  to  be  the  danger  to  them  all  that  they  would 
not  even  anchor  the  launch  whilst  I  went  on  shore.  I  went 
up  alone,  and  interviewed  the  old  chief,  Guriraram.  I  found 
him  to  be  a  very  nice  old  man,  and  very  friendly  indeed. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN     107 

Captain  Ferguson  had  told  them  about  me,  and  so  had  prepared 
the  way  for  my  friendly  reception.  I  arranged  with  the  old 
chief  to  visit  me  at  Port  Hunter.  He  promised  to  do  so,  but  he 
never  kept  his  promise  in  that  matter.  I  always  liked  to  get 
the  people  to  visit  us,  not  only  because  it  helped  to  break  down 
the  state  of  isolation  in  which  most  of  these  little  tribes  lived, 
but  also  because  it  gave  me  the  opportunity  of  showing  them  a 
little  kindness.  They  also  saw  our  teachers  who  were  present 
at  our  services,  and  could  learn  for  themselves  the  kind  of  house 
I  wanted  built  for  the  teacher.  I  quite  liked  the  appearance 
both  of  place  and  people,  and  decided  to  put  Meoko  down 
on  the  first  list  of  stations. 

Our  next  visit  outside  our  own  district  was  to  New  Ireland. 
I  cannot  give  any  correct  idea  of  the  great  trouble  we  always 
had  whenever  I  wished  to  leave  home.  The  people  professed 
to  be  very  much  afraid  that  I  should  be  killed,  and  that  they 
would  be  held  responsible  for  my  death  ;  and  they  took  care  to 
bring  to  us  every  story  which  they  received,  or  which  they 
professed  to  have  received,  with  regard  to  the  intentions  of  the 
people  whom  we  were  going  to  visit.  Before  going  on  this 
journey  Waruwarum  came  and  told  me  that  he  had  just 
received  most  definite  information  from  New  Britain  natives 
that  the  Matupit  people  were  determined  that  they  would  fight 
the  steam  launch  the  next  time  we  went  over  there.  It  was 
extremely  difficult  to  decide  as  to  what  amount  of  importance 
we  should  attach  to  these  tales.  We  well  knew  that  the  Duke 
of  York  people  did  not  wish  us  to  go  to  Matupit,  because  they 
were  jealous  of  that  place,  and  thought  that  if  Blanche  Bay  was 
rendered  safe,  by  the  people  being  made  friendly  to  whites,  all 
the  ships  would  go  there  for  supplies,  and  so  their  trade  and 
importance  would  be  decreased.  On  the  other  hand,  these 
repeated  tales  naturally  left  an  uncomfortable  impression  on  the 
mind,  and  we  could  not  help  feeling  that  though  they  were 
either  unfounded  or  very  much  exaggerated,  yet  if  any  accident 
should  happen  we  should  be  accused  of  presumption  and  folly 


io8  GEORGE    BROWN 

in  acting  in  opposition  to  the  warnings  which  had  been  given 
to  us.  It  is  very  easy  to  call  a  man  foolhardy  because  he  went 
after  being  definitely  warned  of  the  consequences  of  doing  so, 
but  I  am  speaking  quite  within  the  mark  when  I  say  that  if  we 
had  gone  only  to  places  of  which  we  were  not  warned,  we 
should  rarely  have  left  the  mission  station  at  all.  I  wrote  in 
my  journal  at  this  time :  "  I  do  not  believe  the  tales  they 
tell  us  about  Matupit,  but  I  shall  not  press  the  location  of  a 
teacher  there  just  now.  Our  best  plan  is  to  enter  the  open 
door,  and  wait  quietly  until  those  which  now  appear  closed  are 
open  to  us.  The  people  will  soon  see  that  it  is  to  their  interest 
to  get  us  among  them." 

At  6  a.m.  on  October  5  we  started  on  our  first  visit  to  this 
large  island.  We  had  rather  a  nasty  sea  in  the  channel  when 
we  left  Port  Hunter  ;  but  as  the  wind  was  well  abeam,  we  set 
the  sail  and  headed  right  across  for  the  nearest  point  of  the 
island,  so  as  to  get  well  in  with  the  land  before  attempting  to 
steam  to  windward.  We  did  this  in  the  hope  of  finding 
smoother  water  and  more  shelter  along  the  coast  than  we  should 
have  in  mid-channel.  The  launch  worked  very  well  indeed, 
towing  our  whale-boat,  and  making  good  progress,  though  only 
under  a  low  pressure  of  steam.  I  had  by  this  time  every  con- 
fidence in  Jack  being  well  able  to  manage  her,  and  I  myself 
was  able  to  attend  to  the  engine  when  he  was  busy  at  any 
other  work.  We  made  the  coast  in  about  three  hours  after 
leaving  Port  Hunter,  and  then  steamed  in  an  easterly  direction 
along  the  land,  keeping  close  to  the  beach  all  the  way.  For 
several  miles  on  this  part  of  the  island  there  were  no  natives 
living  on  the  beach.  The  interior  of  the  island  is  inhabited, 
but  the  people  have  little  or  no  communication  with  the  villages 
on  the  seashore.  After  going  a  mile  or  two  we  landed  on  a 
beach  which  was  evidently  of  comparatively  recent  formation,  in 
fact  it  was  simply  a  bar  of  water-worn  shingle  brought  down  by 
the  river  and  then  piled  up  across  its  mouth  by  the  heavy  swell 
from  the  prevailing  wind.  This  had  caused  the  river  to  form  a 
large  lagoon,  which  was  extending  continuously  to  the  eastward, 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN     109 

as  every  fresh  outlet  made  by  the  river  was  being  blocked  up 
by  the  surf,  and  so  the  river's  course  was  diverted  farther 
eastward.  The  lagoon  was  a  very  extensive  one,  but  we  saw  no 
signs  of  any  natives  living  on  its  banks.  The  land  in  that  part 
was  high,  and  broken  to  the  seashore,  except  where  some  flat 
land  seemed  to  indicate  a  river  deposit.  We  saw  no  large  river, 
but  a  great  number  of  small  streams  found  their  way  to  the  sea 
along  this  part  of  the  coast.  We  noticed  no  mangrove  swamps  ; 
the  water  is  quite  deep  close  inshore,  and  in  ordinary  weather  it 
is  quite  easy  to  land  on  any  part  of  the  coast,  though  about 
mid-day  there  is  a  nasty  surf  on  some  parts  which  are  exposed 
to  the  prevailing  wind.  The  beach  is  composed  of  water-worn 
shingle  and  gravel,  with  much  conglomerate  containing  fossils 
and  stone,  resembling  granite  with  quartz  veins  in  it.  There 
are  no  coral  reefs  at  all  in  this  part. 

About  i  p.m.  we  reached  Batigoro,  and  very  glad  we  were 
to  see  the  natives  quite  friendly.  I  had  taken  Liblib  and 
Dukduk,  two  influential  chiefs  from  Waira,  and  Waruwarum,  from 
Port  Hunter  with  us  ;  and  as  they  were  well  known  here,  we  had 
a  very  good  introduction  to  the  people.  Previous  to  leaving  I 
had  fully  instructed  these  chiefs  as  to  our  object  in  coming  and 
the  plans  we  intended  to  adopt,  and  so  we  not  only  had  the 
benefit  of  landing  under  their  protection,  but  it  was  much  easier 
to  acquaint  the  natives  with  our  object  in  visiting  them  than  it 
would  have  been  had  we  come  alone.  After  engaging  some 
men  to  take  off  water  for  the  launch,  I  walked  to  the  village, 
which  is  about  a  mile  from  the  anchorage.  We  were  taken  to 
a  large  house  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  This  house  was 
built  without  eaves,  the  rafters  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the 
ridge  pole  and,  meeting  those  from  the  other  side,  formed  a 
semicircle.  Along  the  sides  and  down  the  centre  of  the  house 
were  raised  wooden  benches,  which  form  seats  by  day  and  beds 
by  night.  These  large  houses  are  occupied  at  night  by  the 
unmarried  men  only,  those  who  are  married  having  separate 
houses  in  the  village.  A  string  of  pigs'  claws  ornamented  one 
end  of  the  house,  and  spears,  etc.,  were  hung  all  about  the  roof. 


no  GEORGE    BROWN 

Some  human  skulls  were  suspended  from  a  tree  outside.  The 
people  were  very  quiet  and  friendly,  and  I  especially  liked  the 
appearance  of  the  women  and  children.  They  were  very  quiet 
and  unobtrusive,  and  all  the  women  and  girls  wore  a  leaf  or 
small  piece  of  cloth,  which,  small  as  it  was,  showed  that  they 
had  some  sense  of  modesty,  a  virtue  of  which  our  Duke  of 
York  ladies  appeared  to  be  totally  deficient. 

About  sunset  I  went  on  board,  and  the  chiefs  coming  off 
with  a  present  of  food,  I  had  a  long  talk  with  them.  We  had 
no  reason  to  be  apprehensive  of  danger,  but  we  thought  it  best 
to  keep  watch  ;  and  so  the  three  teachers  and  I  divided  the 
task,  the  early  morning  watch  falling  to  my  share.  Our  sleeping 
accommodation  amongst  the  coals  and  firewood  was  not  so 
very  comfortable  as  to  make  it  a  very  great  sacrifice  to  leave 
it  for  awhile.  Before  I  had  to  go  on  watch  I  had  turned  over  a 
great  many  times,  and  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
board  on  which  I  was  lying  was  formed  of  the  very  hardest 
piece  of  Sydney  "  hardwood."  Often  did  I  wish  that  my 
bones  had  been  better  covered  than  they  were,  or  that  I  had  a 
softer  plank  to  lie  upon. 

Next  day,  October  6,  we  started  again  at  daylight,  and  made 
good  progress  during  the  hot,  calm  hours  of  the  early  morning. 
We  passed  several  villages,  where  the  chiefs  on  board  wished  to 
stay,  but  I  refused  to  do  so  until  I  had  first  seen  the  chief 
Tomum,  to  whom  Topulu  (King  Dick)  specially  directed  me  to 
go.  I  well  knew  that  the  chiefs  only  wished  me  to  call  for 
some  little  peddling  transactions  of  their  own,  and  I  was 
unwilling  to  run  the  risk  of  offending  Tomum  by  calling  on 
all  the  inferior  chiefs  first.  We  first  stopped  at  a  place  called 
Dilout,  and  found  Tomum  there  gathering  cocoanuts ;  and  here 
again  I  found  that  the  chiefs  on  board  were  trying  to  lead  me 
astray  for  their  own  purposes.  They  wished  to  sleep  at  this 
place,  and  so  told  me  that  we  could  arrange  with  Tomum  here 
just  as  well  as  at  his  own  place,  as  this  was  one  of  his  villages  ; 
but  on  going  on  shore  I  found  that  Tomum  would  not  be  at  all 
pleased  if  we  stayed,  as  he  wanted  us  to  go  on  to  his  own  house. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN     in 

On  hearing  this,  I  at  once  decided  to  go,  and  after  resting  for 
an  hour  or  two,  we  steamed  on  with  Tomum's  canoe  in  tow,  to 
Kail,  where  he  resides. 

In  the  evening  I  made  the  old  man  a  few  presents,  and  tore 
up  a  few  yards  of  gaudy  print  into  small  pieces  and  gave  one 
to  each  of  the  women  and  girls.  After  tea  I  went  on  shore 
again,  and  there,  sitting  on  the  ground  in  front  of  Tomum's 
house,  in  the  still,  quiet,  moonlit  night,  and  surrounded  by  a 
goodly  number  of  people,  I  tried  to  tell  them  a  little  about  the 
One  God,  and  Father  of  all,  the  heaven  which  He  has  prepared 
for  those  who  love  Him,  and  the  hell  which  they  may  shun  by 
the  acceptance  of  that  Gospel  which  we  declared  unto  them. 
I  spoke  most  about  the  love  of  God,  and  of  the  great  and 
glorious  privileges  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  and  also  tried  to 
show  them  the  temporal  advantages  which  would  accrue  from 
the  civilising  and  enlightening  effects  of  Christianity.  Waru- 
warum  and  Liblib  acted  as  interpreters,  and,  as  far  as  I  could 
judge,  they  succeeded  very  well.  The  people  were  very 
attentive,  and  Tomum  promised  to  visit  me  and  to  receive  a 
teacher. 

Next  morning  Tomum  made  us  a  small  return  present  of 
yams,  etc.,  and  then  we  left  Kail  about  I  p.m.  I  walked  down 
the  coast  for  the  first  two  miles,  as  I  wished  to  see  the  river 
Topaia,  which  gives  its  name  to  this  district.  After  leaving  the 
river  we  called  at  a  place  called  King,  leaving  there  Tomamara, 
the  chief  of  that  place.  Towards  evening  we  stopped  at  a  large 
village  called  Waatpi,  chief's  name  Balan.  Here  we  had  the 
inevitable  Dukduk  or  dancing  mask  affair  again.  I  noticed 
here  that  all  people  outside  kept  clear  of  the  masked  figures,  as 
they  have  the  privilege  of  beating  or  stoning  any  who  came  in 
their  way.  After  a  stroll  through  the  village  I  went  on  board 
the  launch.  Two  of  our  lads  stayed  on  shore  to  cook  the  pig. 
After  we  left  for  Port  Hunter,  our  natives  told  me  that  some  of 
the  Waatpi  natives  were  seen  poising  spears  at  the  lads  as  they 
were  cooking.  I  think,  however,  this  must  have  been  only  in 
jest,  as  the  chief  was  on  board  the  launch  at  the  time,  and  was 


ii2  GEORGE    BROWN 

very  friendly.  And  then  it  was  rather  a  suspicious  sign  that 
they  did  not  tell  me  of  this  until  we  had  left  Waatpi.  In 
receiving  native  tales  I  found  that  I  must  always  guard  against 
the  danger  of  utterly  discrediting  every  tale  they  tell  against 
people  with  whom  they  do  not  wish  us  to  form  any  alliance. 

On  October  8  we  started  from  Waatpi  at  4  a.m,  and  reached 
Port  Hunter  at  9  a.m.  I  felt  very  tired  but  very  thankful  that 
this  our  first  visit  to  New  Ireland  had  ended  so  well. 

Sunday,  October  10,  Peni  preached  in  the  morning.  At 
noon  I  held  a  meeting  with  the  teachers  to  tell  them  about  our 
visit  to  New  Ireland,  and  also  to  tell  them  about  the  opening 
on  New  Britain,  as  Tobula,  the  chief  of  Nodup,  had  come  over 
and  asked  to  have  a  teacher  appointed  to  his  village.  After 
telling  them  about  the  two  islands  I  asked  who  would  go,  as  I 
did  not  wish  to  appoint  any  but  volunteers.  All  were  willing. 
I  was  very  much  pleased  with  the  teachers.  At  4  p.m.  we 
held  a  prayer-meeting  instead  of  our  usual  afternoon  preaching, 
and  earnest  and  hearty  were  the  prayers  which  were  offered  up 
for  those  who  are  about  to  proceed  as  the  advanced  guard  to 
the  larger  island  of  New  Britain,  where  Satan  had  so  long 
reigned  supreme. 

October  12,  left  Port  Hunter  at  6  a.m.,  called  at  Makada 
for  water,  and  left  there  at  8.15  a.m.  for  Nodup,  New 
Britain,  taking  with  us  Tobula,  the  chief  of  that  village. 
We  had  a  fine  passage  across.  Our  little  steamer  worked 
well,  landing  us  at  Nodup  about  n  a.m.  When  we  landed, 
there  was  a  great  crowd  on  the  beach,  and  we  soon  saw 
that  it  was  an  exciting  affair  for  the  natives.  After  being 
introduced  to  some  of  the  chiefs  and  their  wives,  the  chief 
Tobula  led  the  way  to  the  house  he  had  prepared  for  the 
teachers,  and  I  was  at  once  surprised  and  pleased  to  find  a  very 
nice  large  house  built  in  a  fine  position  upon  a  most  suitable 
piece  of  land.  The  house  was  larger  than  any  which  they  build 
for  themselves,  and  with  its  three  steeples  gaily  ornamented  with 
streamers  and  feathers,  really  looked  very  well  indeed.  The 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    113 

people  gathered  round,  and  we  could  easily  see  that  there  must 
be  a  considerable  population  in  this  part  of  the  island.  After 
resting  awhile,  I  gave  the  chief  a  present,  which  was  considered 
by  him  as  payment  for  the  house  he  had  built.  After  this  there 
was  a  great  display  of  bananas,  and  the  chief  and  his  brother 
Tokarupa  distributed  shell  money  and  bananas  to  all  the  chiefs 
who  had  helped  to  build  the  house.  All  passed  off  well,  and 
the  people  who  went  with  us  were  quite  surprised  at  our 
reception.  My  own  heart  was  full,  and  I  longed  to  be  able  to 
get  away  into  the  bush  to  weep  for  very  thankfulness.  As  it 
was,  I  could  only  lift  my  heart  with  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
His  goodness,  and  ask  Him  to  bless  this  the  first  attempt  to 
introduce  the  Gospel  to  this  people. 

After  buying  some  yams,  and  arranging  for  some  men  to 
cut  firewood  for  the  launch,  I  determined  to  go  with  Towal, 
one  of  the  principal  chiefs,  to  visit  his  place  that  evening,  as 
coals  and  time  were  precious,  and  I  wished  to  do  all  the  work 
I  could  whilst  we  had  steam  up.  We  found  it  much  farther 
away  than  we  expected,  as  his  village  is  quite  at  the  end  of 
the  island,  close  to  Uatam,  or  Man  Island.  I  landed  expecting 
that  the  chiefs  house  was  near  the  beach,  but  found  that  the 
road  went  a  considerable  way  inland,  describing  a  semicircle 
before  bringing  us  to  the  chiefs  village,  which  was  situated  on 
the  top  of  a  very  high  perpendicular  cliff,  some  distance  down 
the  coast.  I  talked  to  him,  and  to  the  crowd  which  gathered 
round  us,  about  our  object  in  coming  to  them,  and  then,  as  it 
was  nearly  dark,  I  started  to  go,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  be 
benighted  in  the  bush  road.  I  found,  however,  that  my  com- 
panion, Waruwarum,  was  deep  in  some  trading  transaction 
about  a  hatchet,  and  so  we  were  detained  some  time  longer, 
as  I  did  not  wish  to  offend  him  by  going  away  at  once.  The 
Duke  of  York  natives  are  inveterate  traders  and  pedlars.  They 
buy  and  sell  continually  from  each  other,  and  their  social 
customs  in  that  respect  are  totally  unlike  those  of  any  Polynesians 
with  whom  I  am  acquainted.  The  launch  could  not  anchor 
here,  as  the  water  was  too  deep  outside,  and  the  reef  too  shallow, 

8 


ii4  GEORGE    BROWN 

but  we  got  aboard  in  a  native  canoe,  and  then  started  away 
for  Nodup,  and  had  a  pleasant  run  back  by  moonlight.  On 
our  arrival  there  I  determined  to  go  on  shore  and  sleep  in  the 
teachers'  house  to  encourage  them  a  little,  but  I  found  them 
all  fast  asleep,  so  I  just  slung  my  hammock  as  well  as  I  could 
in  the  crowded  house,  and  lay  down  with  a  thankful  heart, 
secure  in  the  assurance  of  God's  watchful  care  over  us. 

Next  day  Toporapora  and  Tolingling,  the  two  chiefs  from 
Matupit,  whom  we  met  there  on  board  the  John  Wesley,  came 
to  see  me.  They  had  been  fighting  there ;  and  as  there  were 
some  who  were  opposed  to  the  appointment  of  a  teacher,  I 
decided  not  to  attempt  to  force  one  upon  them,  but  to  leave 
Ratu  Livai  and  Peni  at  Nodup  together,  until  some  suitable 
opening  presented  itself. 

There  were  no  large  villages  here.  Every  family  seemed  to 
have  a  separate  enclosure  containing  five  or  six  houses,  and 
these  were  scattered  all  about  the  bush.  The  enclosures  were 
kept  scrupulously  clean  and,  in  that  respect,  were  much  superior 
to  those  in  the  Duke  of  York  Island,  as  well  as  in  the  size 
and  make  of  their  houses. 

After  waving  farewell  to  the  two  noble  fellows  and  their 
wives,  whom  we  had  left  to  do  God's  work  there,  we  started 
for  Matupit,  at  which  place  I  was  determined  to  show  ourselves, 
notwithstanding  the  protest  of  the  chiefs  and  natives  who  came 
with  us  from  Port  Hunter.  I  was  very  much  troubled  about 
that  place.  It  was  one  of  the  most  important  points,  and  one 
which  we  should  occupy  as  soon  as  possible,  yet  the  way 
seemed  blocked  up,  and  I  did  not  think  it  wise  to  try  to 
force  an  entrance.  Matupit  is  a  small  but  very  populous  island 
in  Blanche  Bay,  quite  close  to  the  anchorage,  and  from  its 
central  position  was  admirably  suited  for  the  headquarters 
of  the  mission  in  that  part  of  New  Britain,  as  all  the  villages 
in  Blanche  Bay  and  Simpson's  Harbour,  as  well  as  those 
near  Nodup  and  the  end  of  the  island,  are  easily  accessible 
from  there.  Before  leaving  Port  Hunter  I  went  to  Topulu  to 
ask  his  advice  about  it,  and  he  was  decidedly  against  our 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    115 

attempting  to  place  a  teacher  there ;  but  then  he  was  jealous 
of  the  place.  However,  as  we  were  towing  Toporapora  and 
his  crew,  in  their  canoe,  I  determined  to  go  close  enough  to 
the  island,  to  give  the  people  a  chance  of  communicating  with 
us,  as  I  felt  pretty  certain,  from  my  knowledge  of  native 
character,  that  they  would  feel  themselves  insulted  if  we  passed 
them  by  and  were  to  visit  other  places. 

We  passed  close  to  the  place  where  Lieutenant  Praed  and 
party  of  H.B.M.S.  Blanche  had  an  encounter  with  the  natives 
some  time  before.  They  went  to  investigate  the  truth  of  a 
report  that  a  white  woman  was  kept  in  captivity  by  the  natives. 
The  natives  here  assured  me  that  she  was  only  an  albino. 

As  we  steamed  up  Blanche  Bay  there  was  some  considerable 
excitement  on  board  the  launch.  All  the  natives  and  one 
of  our  company  objected  to  call  at  Matupit,  and  positively 
refused  to  go  round  the  bay,  stating  that  we  should  all  be 
murdered  if  we  went  near  any  of  the  villages  on  the  opposite 
shore.  They  were  clamorous  for  an  immediate  return  to  Port 
Hunter.  I  reasoned  with  them,  telling  them  that  they  had 
their  own  arms  in  case  of  any  attack,  a  good  steam  launch 
and  whale-boat,  and  that  I  did  not  intend  to  anchor  or  land 
anywhere,  but  simply  to  examine  the  coast,  and  try  to  open 
communication  with  the  people  ;  but  'twas  all  in  vain.  J.  Holmes 
was  the  only  one  who  at  all  held  with  me  that,  by  taking 
proper  precautions,  we  might  go  with  comparative  safety.  I 
then  quietly  told  the  chief  Waruwarum,  and  all  on  board, 
that  I  was  determined  to  go,  whether  they  went  or  not ;  that 
there  was  only  one  man  who  was  captain,  and  that  I  would 
do  as  I  thought  right.  I  reminded  them  that  before  leaving 
Port  Hunter  I  had  told  them  where  I  meant  to  go,  and  that 
I  had  especially  warned  Waruwarum,  whom  I  knew  to  be  an 
arrant  coward,  not  to  come  with  us  if  he  was  afraid  to  go 
round  Blanche  Bay.  I  told  them,  however,  that  I  did  not 
wish  to  take  any  one  against  his  will,  and  that  I  would  therefore 
land  all  who  wished  to  stay  with  Toporapora  at  Matupit, 
and  that  any  one  who  wished  to  return  to  Nodup  could  be 


n6  GEORGE    BROWN 

landed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay.  This,  however,  did 
not  suit  them,  as  they  were  afraid  of  being  killed  if  they 
left  us.  Then  there  was  a  regular  mutiny,  and  one  of  the 
two  whites  who  were  with  us  jumped  up  with  a  musket  in 
his  hand,  and  came  to  me  in  a  threatening  attitude,  saying 
that  they  were  determined  not  to  go,  and  that  they  would  not 
have  their  lives  sacrificed  for  me  or  for  any  other  missionary. 
I  had  of  course  to  talk  to  him  in  a  very  decided  manner.  Then 
I  heard  that  they  had  all  agreed  to  haul  up  the  whale-boat  we 
were  towing  alongside  the  launch,  and  to  return  in  her  to  Port 
Hunter,  leaving  Jack  and  myself  alone.  Speaking  in  Fijian,  I 
told  the  two  teachers  who  were  in  charge  of  the  boat  not  to 
come  near  the  launch,  nor  to  allow  any  native  to  get  into  her  on 
any  pretext,  and  that  if  any  attempts  were  made  to  haul  the 
boat  alongside  they  were  to  cut  "the  painter,"  and  I  would 
pick  them  up  afterwards.  I  also  told  the  men  in  the  launch 
that  if  they  did  succeed  in  getting  the  whale-boat  I  would 
run  her  down.  This  may  appear  to  be  strong  talk,  but  the 
occasion  was  a  critical  one,  and  made  decided  action  very 
necessary.  After  this  we  kept  on  our  course,  but,  in  deference 
to  their  fears,  I  resolved  to  compromise  matters  and  not  to 
stop  at  Matupit  except  just  to  land!  Toporapora  and  his  crew. 
This  we  did,  steaming  close  to  the  island,  and  for  a  considerable 
distance  around  it,  without  seeing  the  slightest  signs  of  hostility. 
The  only  suspicious  circumstance  I  noticed  was  that  no 
canoes  came  off.  Whether  they  would  have  come  had  we 
anchored  or  waited  long  enough,  I  cannot  tell. 

After  leaving  Matupit  we  steamed  right  across  Simpson's 
Harbour.  All  the  natives  were  sulky  except  one  or  two,  and 
regaled  me  with  tales  of  the  ferocity  and  cannibalism  of  the 
people  whose  villages  we  were  so  rapidly  nearing.  They 
told  us  of  four  Mioko  men  being  killed  and  eaten  a  short 
time  ago  by  the  people  right  ahead,  and  one  of  them  told 
me  that  he  was  with  Captain  Bennett  when  his  ship  was 
attacked  by  these  same  people.  All  the  way  across  I  reasoned 
this  matter  over  and  over  in  my  own  mind.  I  could  not  help 


THREE    NATIVES. 
The  one  in  the  centre  is  a  prominent  member  (or  master)  of  a  Secret  Society  called  Iniat. 


PROFILE    VIEW    OF    TWO    OF    THE    ABOVE. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN     117 

feeling  anxious  after  hearing  all  these  tales,  but  still,  after 
calm  and  prayerful  consideration,  I  felt  that  I  was  justified 
in  the  action  I  was  taking.  I  was  well  aware  that  there 
was  some  risk,  but  I  knew  that  it  was  grossly  exaggerated 
by  the  cowardly  fellows  we  had  with  us,  and  I  felt  that  if 
we  did  not  make  some  use  of  the  launch  beyond  going  to 
places  where  we  might  go  as  easily  and  as  safely  in  a  canoe, 
it  was  of  little  use  our  having  the  steamer  at  all.  I  felt  also 
that  it  was  very  important  that  we  should,  at  all  events,  show 
ourselves  to  the  natives  and  have  some  little  communication 
with  them,  that  they  might  get  some  idea  as  to  what  our 
objects  were,  and  that  the  way  might  be  opened  for  a  better 
acquaintance  at  a  future  time.  I  wanted  also  to  get  some 
idea  of  the  number  of  people,  and  of  their  friendliness  or 
otherwise.  These  and  other  similar  reasons  seemed  sufficient 
to  justify  me  in  going,  even  against  the  advice  of  the  natives 
I  had  with  me. 

As  we  neared  the  shore  a  large  number  of  natives  came  out 
in  canoes  to  meet  us.  Our  natives  were  greatly  excited,  and 
begged  me  most  earnestly  to  keep  away  from  the  coast,  but 
we  kept  on  our  course  until  the  leading  canoe  was  close  to 
us,  when  I  stopped  the  engine,  and  waited  for  the  people  to 
come  up.  On  going  forward  to  see  that  all  was  right,  I  saw 
Waruwarum  with  a  large  horse-pistol  of  his  own  ready  cocked 
in  his  hand  ;  this  I  at  once  made  him  cover  up  out  of  sight, 
as  I  had  positively  forbidden  all  display  of  arms.  He  was 
very  unwilling  to  do  so,  but  yielded  under  pressure.  As  the 
first  canoe  came  alongside,  my  mind  was  at  ease  at  once — at 
all  events  as  to  any  premeditated  attack — on  seeing  three 
nice  little  children  in  the  canoe.  Natives  will  not  bring 
children  with  them  if  they  intend  any  mischief,  though,  of 
course,  accidents  may  happen,  and  a  little  thing  may  cause 
a  quarrel  at  any  time.  I  made  the  men  a  present  of  a  little 
tobacco,  and  put  a  few  beads  round  the  children's  necks  ;  then, 
as  more  canoes  came  up,  we  hauled  the  whale-boat  alongside 
the  launch,  on  the  seaward  side,  and  made  all  canoes  keep  to  the 


ii8  GEORGE    BROWN 

other  side  between  us  and  the  shore.  These  were  precautionary 
measures  which  it  was  well  to  take  ;  but  I  believe  the  natives 
never  thought  of  anything  but  selling  their  fish,  yams,  etc. 
I  bought  everything  they  brought,  whether  we  wanted  it  or 
not,  with  the  exception  of  tortoise-shell,  as  I  had  determined 
not  to  buy  any  of  that  article  from  the  natives  at  that  time, 
not  even  a  little  for  private  use,  as  I  wished  both  natives 
and  traders  to  understand  that  we  were  not  there  for  trading 
purposes  ;  and  though  it  would  have  been  easy  to  assure  the 
traders  of  the  fact,  the  only  way  to  convince  a  native  that  we 
did  not  trade  in  the  article  was  to  refuse  to  buy  it  altogether. 
After  we  had  got  through  most  of  the  bartering,  we  managed 
to  get  them  to  keep  quiet  for  a  while,  and  I  got  Tolituru  to 
interpret  as  I  explained  what  our  subject  and  intentions  were. 
I  then  put  what  I  am  sure  was  the  first  fathom  of  print  he 
ever  wore  round  the  chief,  who  was  the  only  one  allowed  to 
come  on  board  ;  and  after  inviting  him  to  come  over  to  Port 
Hunter  to  see  me,  we  turned  ahead,  and  said  good-bye.  Some 
of  the  canoes  followed  us  for  some  distance,  as  the  men  very 
much  wished  us  to  land.  As  we  steamed  along  the  coast 
the  natives  came  in  crowds  and  made  motions  for  us  to  go 
on  shore,  some  waving  green  leaves,  a  sign  of  amity,  and 
beckoning  with  the  hand.  One  old  lady  ran  into  the  water 
and  waved  a  fishing-net,  appealing  thus  to  our  appetites,  as 
other  means  had  proved  ineffectual.  Another  woman,  who 
I  think  must  have  seen  or  heard  of  us  when  we  were  at  Matupit 
with  the  John  Wesley,  called  out  several  times,  "  Missionary ! 
Missionary  ! " 

We  passed  several  large  villages,  which  seemed  to  be  built 
on  a  different  plan  to  those  we  saw  at  Nodup,  as  the  houses 
were  built  all  in  one  place,  much  the  same  as  in  Samoan  or 
Fijian  villages,  instead  of  in  separate  enclosures.  The  name 
of  the  large  village  was  Diwaon.  I  would  gladly  have  stopped 
to  hold  a  little  communication  with  the  people,  but  the  slightest 
hint  of  such  an  intention  produced  such  expressions  of  dissent 
that  I  thought  it  best  to  abandon  it ;  and,  mentally  vowing 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    119 

to  have  a  better  crew  next  time,  I  steered  for  Nanup  and 
Palakauru,  two  small  uninhabited  islands,  on  one  of  which 
we  proposed  to  pass  the  night.  We  found  a  shallow  reef 
round  both  of  them,  and  in  trying  to  get  near  Palakauru 
the  launch  grounded  for  a  few  minutes.  We  got  her  off,  and 
then  went  down  to  the  smaller  island,  and  anchored  outside. 
I  went  on  shore  in  the  whale-boat,  and  walked  round  the  island 
just  before  sunset.  On  reviewing  the  events  of  this  long  day, 
I  felt  heartily  glad  that  I  had  carried  out  my  original  plans, 
as  we  had,  at  all  events,  opened  communication  with  those 
populous  villages,  and  had  proved  that  with  the  ordinary  pre- 
cautions which  should  always  be  observed  in  visiting  savage 
races,  the  New  Britain  people  might  be  visited  with  comparative 
safety. 

Next  day,  about  2  a.m.,  we  were  all  awaked  by  those  on 
watch,  who  reported  a  number  of  canoes  filled  with  men  close 
at  hand.  Of  course  there  was  great  excitement  among  our 
"  braves."  We  could  see  the  canoes  distinctly  and  could 
hear  the  voices  of  the  men,  but,  seeing  us  at  anchor,  they 
passed  on  to  the  island  where  we  had  first  tried  to  land, 
and  we  soon  saw  the  large  fires  they  lit  when  they  landed. 
We  concluded  that  they  had  come  to  look  for  turtle,  as  these 
two  islands  form  a  regular  fishing-ground  for  that  animal. 
As  natives  from  another  part  of  the  coast  may  be  there  at  the 
same  time,  the  fishing-parties  always  came  in  great  numbers, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  dispossess  any  occupants  they  might  find, 
or  to  maintain  their  own  position  if  attacked.  Our  natives 
were  dreadfully  frightened  again  ;  and  as  I  felt  certain  that  a 
good  watch  would  be  kept,  I  lay  down  again  and  slept  as 
quietly  as  I  could  until  daylight.  Just  before  sunrise  we  pre- 
pared to  go  on  shore  to  the  island  nearest  to  us,  but  before  we 
got  far  from  the  launch  we  saw  the  canoes  coming  off  from  the 
other  island,  and  so  we  returned  at  once.  As  soon  as  we  got 
on  board  we  got  the  anchor  up  and  hoisted  our  sail,  as  we  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  ten  canoes  filled  with  men  coming  near  us 
so  early  in  the  morning,  especially  as  we  knew  that  they  were 


120  GEORGE    BROWN 

away  from  their  own  village.  Our  Duke  of  York  natives, 
as  usual,  were  very  much  excited,  and  declared  most  positively 
that  they  meant  to  fight  us.  I,  of  course,  could  not  say  that 
they  did  not  mean  to  do  so  ;  and  as  I  was  anxious  to  avoid 
any  chance  of  collision,  and  as  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained 
by  staying,  I  thought  it  best  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible. 
But  on  calm  consideration  I  was  inclined  to  think  it  very 
doubtful  that  they  really  meant  to  attack  us.  It  is  likely  that 
they  were  natives  from  some  of  the  villages  near  to  those 
we  had  visited,  and  that  they  simply  wished  to  look  at  the 
steamer,  or  to  trade.  I  formed  this  opinion  for  the  following 
reasons  :  (l)  They  called  out  the  name  of  their  chief  as  they 
passed  us  in  the  night.  (2)  They  returned  at  once  to  shore 
when  we  made  sail ;  and  on  landing  I  could  see  very  few 
spears  among  them  ;  nor  did  they  dance  or  make  any  hostile 
demonstration,  as  they  would  have  done  had  they  meant  to 
fight  us,  and  we  had  run  away.  We  called  at  Nakukuru, 
and  I  saw  the  chief  and  people,  and  arranged  for  their  paying 
me  a  visit.  We  then  steamed  home  direct,  and  so  ended  our 
first  trip  in  the  steam  launch  to  New  Britain. 

I  was  very  thankful  that  we  had  succeeded  in  locating 
our  teachers  on  the  island  which  I  feared  would  prove  the 
most  difficult  of  all.  We  had  certainly  been  blessed  beyond 
our  most  sanguine  anticipations.  The  people  were  as  friendly 
as  possible,  and  no  teachers  could  ever  have  been  located 
under  more  favourable  circumstances  than  those  under  which 
Ratu  Livai  and  Penisimani  Thaumea  were  left  by  us  on  the 
shores  of  New  Britain. 

A  few  days  after  this  we  had  a  great  surprise.  On 
October  15"  Sail  ho !  sail  ho !  "  rang  out  from  the  natives 
in  all  directions.  I  went  up  to  the  hill  at  the  back  of  our 
house,  and  made  out  a  brigantine  beating  up  to  the  port.  As 
soon  as  she  got  near  we  went  out  in  the  whale-boat  and  found 
her  to  be  the  Coeran,  Captain  Hernsheim,  from  Hong-kong, 
vid  the  Carolines.  They  were  somewhat  surprised  to  find  a 
missionary  in  those  parts.  Some  of  the  natives  had  told  them 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN     121 

already  that  there  was  a  white  man  living  on  the  island,  and 
they  had  been  greatly  puzzled  to  know  who  he  was,  as  the 
natives  had  told  them  over  and  over  again,  as  a  wondrous 
thing,  that  he  bought  no  tortoise-shell  or  b£che-de-mer,  but  only 
yams  and  taro  for  "  kaikai  "  (food).  This  showed  that  we  were 
right  in  refusing  to  buy  even  a  small  piece  of  tortoise-shell. 

On  October  21,  at  4  p.m.,  we  left  Port  Hunter  in  the 
steam  launch  ;  our  party  consisting  of  Captain  Hernsheim,  of 
the  brigantine  Coeran,  Mr.  Blohm,  a  passenger  in  the  same 
vessel,  and  myself,  with  Jack,  two  Port  Hunter  lads,  and  two 
Fijian  teachers,  as  crew.  We  had  a  good  run  across  to  Nodup, 
and  found  Ratu  Livai  in  good  health  and  spirits,  surprised 
to  see  us  again  so  soon,  but  none  the  less  pleased  to  welcome 
us.  Captain  H.  bought  a  lot  of  yams  for  his  vessel,  saw  the 
two  chiefs,  made  them  each  a  present,  and  asked  them  to 
be  kind  to  the  teachers,  and  to  any  white  men  who  might  visit 
them,  and  wish  to  trade  with  them. 

After  leaving  Nodup  we  steered  for  Blanche  Bay,  as  we 
wished  to  test  the  truth  of  the  tales  the  Duke  of  York  men 
and  some  New  Britain  men  had  been  constantly  telling  us 
about  the  hostile  intentions  of  the  people  of  Matupit  or 
Henderson  Island.  The  last  time  I  was  there,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned, I  was  prevented  from  landing  by  the  fears  of  my  crew  ; 
but  I  had  never  felt  satisfied  in  my  own  mind  that  I  did 
right  in  yielding  to  them  ;  and  as  Captain  H.  and  party 
very  much  wished  to  see  the  place,  I  thought  it  was  a  good 
opportunity  to  visit  them.  When  we  got  near  the  island 
my  old  friend  Toporapora,  the  chief  I  had  met  several  times  at 
our  house  and  elsewhere,  came  out  into  the  water  and  took 
me  on  his  back,  and  we  landed  and  went  up  into  the  village 
without  seeing  the  slightest  sign  of  any  hostile  intention. 
Toporapora  and  Tolingling  brought  us  a  small  present  of  yams, 
and  then  I  asked  them  to  get  all  the  principal  men  together, 
as  we  wished  to  talk  to  them.  This  they  did,  and  after  a  con- 
siderable time  had  been  spent  in  trying  to  get  them  to  keep 


122  GEORGE    BROWN 

quiet,  I  said  a  few  words  to  them.  I  told  them  of  our  stationing 
two  teachers  at  Nodup,  one  of  whom  we  intended  for  some 
other  place  as  soon  as  possible.  I  told  them  we  did  not 
wish  to  force  a  teacher  on  them,  and  that  if  they  simply  said 
they  did  not  want  one,  we  should  certainly  not  send  him.  I 
told  them  as  well  as  I  could  of  the  many  advantages  which 
would  accrue  to  them  from  the  residence  of  a  teacher  among 
them,  and  showed  them  the  folly,  in  a  temporal  sense,  of  their 
acting  in  hostility  to  any  whites  who  might  wish  to  visit  them. 
I  said  that  we  had  fully  intended  to  place  a  teacher  with 
them,  but  that  we  had  not  done  so  because  we  heard  that 
one  party  on  the  island  had  threatened  to  burn  his  house, 
as  they  did  that  of  the  two  white  men  who  were  there  some 
two  years  ago.  Here  I  was  interrupted  several  times  by  them 
saying  :  "  Oh,  Duke  of  York  man  he  talk  gammon  belong  (i.e.  to) 
you,  plenty  gammon,  plenty  too  much  gammon.  What  for  make 
fight  ?  No  make  fight.  Pate,  pate,  pate  (No,  no,  no).  No  make 
fight."  There  was  something  not  at  all  clear  to  us  about  the 
expulsion  of  those  two  white  men  from  that  place.  If  the  natives 
had  really  wished  to  kill  them  they  could  certainly  have  done 
so.  Had  they  wished  to  prevent  their  escape  they  could  easily 
have  destroyed  their  whale-boat ;  yet  the  men  were  allowed 
to  leave  with,  I  believe,  a  considerable  part  of  their  property 
whilst  their  house  was  in  flames,  and  they  got  safely  away 
to  Port  Hunter,  after  killing  three  or  five  of  the  natives. 
Toporapora,  the  chief,  showed  me  the  marks  of  two  severe 
wounds  he  received  in  defending  them.  One  of  the  spears 
went  through  his  thigh,  and  another  inflicted  a  very  nasty 
wound  on  his  breast ;  it  must  have  glanced  off  one  of  his  ribs, 
and  so  his  life  was  saved.  Captain  Hernsheim  made  him  a 
present  of  an  American  axe,  etc.,  for  his  kindness  to  these  men, 
and  Captain  Ferguson,  I  believe,  had  previously  given  him  a 
present  for  the  same  reason. 

And  now  the  question  was,  What  about  Matupit?  We  had 
been  told  that  they  were  a  fierce  and  savage  people,  worse  than 
any  others  in  these  parts  ;  that  they  threatened  to  attack  us 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    123 

even  when  the  John  Wesley  was  here ;  that  they  were  in  ambush 
ready  to  attack  us  last  week  if  we  had  ventured  to  land  ;  that 
they  were  opposed  to  a  teacher  being  sent,  and  that  they  would 
burn  his  house  if  he  were  appointed.  But,  then,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  had  reason  to  suspect  that  they  who  told  us  these 
tales  were  actuated  by  feelings  of  jealousy.  We  knew  also 
that  the  chief  and  people  had,  at  all  events,  always  appeared 
to  be  very  friendly  whenever  we  had  met  them ;  that 
Toporapora  and  Tolingling  were  both  at  Nodup  when  we 
located  the  teacher  there,  and  were  very  friendly  indeed  ;  that 
they  had  been  there  since  we  left  last  week ;  had  taken  a 
present  of  food  to  the  teachers,  and  had  asked  one  of  them 
to  come  and  live  at  Matupit.  We  knew  also  with  regard  to 
one  of  the  tales  that,  as  we  passed  the  island  last  week,  we 
could  not  see  any  signs  of  hostility,  as  there  were  plenty  of 
boys  and  children  on  the  beach,  though,  of  course,  there  may 
have  been  men  in  ambush  among  the  houses,  as  King  Dick 
told  us  there  were.  I  did  not,  however,  believe  there  were  any, 
and  I  pretty  well  knew  that  King  Dick's  only  authority  for 
that  tale  was  Tologon,  an  old  half-blind  chief,  of  Makada,  who 
was  with  us  on  the  launch,  but  who  could  not  see  halfway 
to  the  shore,  and  must  have  made  up  for  his  imperfect  vision 
by  the  liveliness  of  his  imagination.  Then  again,  we  had  been 
received  very  kindly,  and  had  been  repeatedly  assured  that 
they  would  gladly  receive  any  teacher  who  might  be  sent  to 
them.  I  asked  Captain  H.  what  his  opinion  was,  and  he  gave 
it  in  a  most  decided  and  emphatic  manner  that  we  ought  to 
send  a  teacher  at  once.  As  this  agreed  also  with  my  own 
opinion,  I  told  them  to  go  ahead  with  the  house  ;  and  they 
said  they  would  begin  next  day.  I,  myself,  should  not  have 
felt  the  slightest  hesitation  in  going  to  live  there,  and  I  did 
not  think  that  I  should  have  incurred  any  very  great  danger 
in  doing  so.  I  regarded  Matupit  as  by  far  the  most  important 
station  we  could  take  up,  as,  from  its  central  position  and 
nearness  to  the  anchorage,  it  must  always  be  the  headquarters 
of  the  mission  in  this  part  of  New  Britain. 


124  GEORGE    BROWN 

From  Matupit  we  stood  across  Simpson's  Harbour  to  the 
west  side  of  Blanche  Bay,  as  I  wished  to  visit  Karavia.  Karavia 
was  another  of  those  places  against  which  we  were  specially 
warned  ;  and  here  again  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  either 
the  desires  or  the  imagination  of  the  natives  had  supplied 
them  with  the  tales  and  facts  with  which  they  tried  to  prevent 
us  visiting  places  where  they  did  not  wish  us  to  go,  or  that, 
thinking  or  knowing  that  the  people  of  these  places  would 
fight  them  if  they  went  there,  they  took  it  for  granted  that 
they  would  do  the  same  with  us.  After  we  landed  I  made 
a  few  presents  of  beads,  etc.,  to  the  chief,  bought  some  yams, 
just  to  please  the  people,  talked  to  them  for  awhile,  invited 
them  over  to  see  us,  and  then  went  on  board  again,  as  it  was 
near  sunset,  and  we  wished  to  get  our  bearings  for  Duke  of 
York  Island  before  dark.  As  we  steered  along  the  coast, 
canoe  after  canoe  came  out,  and  we  always  stopped  for  a  few 
minutes  for  them,  buying  a  little  from  each  if  we  could,  simply 
from  a  desire  to  be  friendly.  Though  many  of  the  things 
bought  were  of  no  value,  I  thought  it  far  better  to  use  a 
few  articles  of  barter  in  this  way  than  to  begin  a  system  of 
indiscriminate  present-giving.  At  one  time  we  had  twenty- 
eight  canoes  around  us.  One  mean  fellow  stole  my  bunch 
of  keys  from  my  portmanteau,  for  which  I  had  to  pay  to  get 
them  back.  We  reached  Port  Hunter  at  midnight.  Captain 
Hernsheim  tempted  me  very  much  whilst  he  was  with  us 
by  offering  me  a  free  passage  to  Sydney.  It  was  a  great 
temptation,  as  I  was  not  at  all  well,  and  longed  to  see  my 
wife  and  children  again  ;  but  I  managed  to  say  "  No,"  and 
I  felt  very  much  easier  in  my  mind  after  I  had  done  so.  I 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  leaving  the  teachers  alone  even 
for  a  short  time. 

On  October  27,  1875,  we  again  started  for  New  Ireland. 
We  had  a  good  run  over  to  the  coast,  and  landed  near  the 
mouth  of  a  river,  but  found  the  coast  line  there  quite  uninhabited. 
There  was  formerly  a  large  population,  but  they  had  all  been 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    125 

driven  far  inland  by  the  Duke  of  York  natives.  After  resting 
for  about  an  hour,  we  went  on  to  Kalil,  a  large  town  quite 
close  to  the  beach.  We  stayed  there  a  short  time,  and  I  gave 
the  chiefs  a  little  hint  about  preparing  us  some  food  when  they 
saw  us  again.  We  then  went  on  to  Kabanut,  but  did  not  land, 
as  there  was  a  nasty  surf  running.  We  also  passed  the  village 
of  Tukul  for  the  same  reason,  and  anchored  about  a  mile  farther 
on,  near  a  large  waterhole.  A  large  crowd  of  natives  soon 
collected,  and  we  employed  six  of  them  to  water  the  steamer. 
Mr.  Blohm  and  I  landed,  and  went  a  short  distance  inland  to 
see  the  country.  On  our  return  to  the  beach  we  were  a  little 
uneasy  at  seeing  so  many  natives  assembled,  all  heavily  armed, 
and  with  spare  bundles  of  spears.  I  did  not  notice  this  until 
Mr.  B.  directed  my  attention  to  it,  and  then  I  certainly  did  not 
like  their  appearance,  but  we  kept  walking  quietly  on  right 
into  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  and  I  began  to  barter  with  them 
for  spears,  etc.,  at  once.  I  believe  that  our  fears  were  quite 
groundless  as  to  any  intention  of  the  natives  to  injure  us.  The 
normal  state  of  society  seemed  to  be  one  of  constant  warfare 
with  all  the  inland  tribes  and  with  many  of  those  in  the 
adjoining  districts  on  the  coast,  and  no  man  stirred  from  his 
house  without  his  spear,  or  a  bundle  of  them,  in  his  hand,  ready 
for  action.  There  was  no  doubt  at  all  about  the  cannibalism 
of  the  people,  in  fact,  they  made  no  secret  at  all  about  it.  Most 
of  the  spears  had  a  human  leg-  or  arm-bone  on  one  end,  and 
when  I  asked  my  interpreter  where  all  these  bones  came  from, 
he  replied,  "  Oh  man  belong  salt  water  he  fight  man  belong 
bush.  He  kaikai  (eat)  him.  He  catch  him  bone  he  go  belong 
spear.  All  same  this  fellow  place,"  which  last  sentence  means, 
such  is  the  custom  here.  I  bought  a  lot  of  these  bone-tipped 
spears,  but,  unfortunately,  our  little  launch  gave  a  very  heavy 
lee-roll  in  the  night  as  we  were  returning,  and  they  all  went 
overboard. 

We  got  the  chiefs  on  board,  made  them  all  a  little  present, 
paid  the  men  for  bringing  water,  and  then  prepared  to  pass 
the  night  as  quietly  as  possible  by  requesting  all  the  people 


126  GEORGE    BROWN 

to  go  on  shore.  We  noticed  that  the  people  all  seemed  very 
wild,  and  that  the  chiefs  had  little  or  no  power  over  them. 
When  we  gave  a  few  little  presents  to  the  chiefs,  there  was 
quite  a  scramble  for  them,  and  they  had  no  little  difficulty  in 
saving  any  for  themselves.  Some  of  our  party  were  anxious 
for  us  to  steam  out  to  sea  and  lie  to  until  morning,  but  we 
finally  decided  to  remain  at  anchor  and  keep  a  good  watch  all 
night.  It  was  fortunate,  I  think,  that  we  did  this,  for  during 
my  watch  I  suddenly  saw  a  canoe  creeping  towards  us  in  the 
misty  darkness.  I  was  at  once  on  the  alert,  and  soon  saw 
another.  I  immediately  challenged  them,  and  woke  up  our 
crew.  The  noise  we  made  showed  that  we  were  awake,  and 
our  visitors  left  us.  How  many  they  were,  and  with  what 
intention  they  came,  I  did  not  know,  but  we  all  believed  that 
they  came  for  no  good  purpose. 

On  October  28  we  started  early  for  our  journey  along  the 
coast,  but  did  not  go  many  miles.  We  reached  a  place  called 
Matakan,  and  beyond  this  our  crew  refused  to  go,  representing 
all  beyond  as  a  bad,  dangerous  coast,  full  of  reefs  and  stones,  on 
which  the  steamer  would  inevitably  be  wrecked,  and  describing 
the  people  as  very  dangerous.  I  had  long  since  ceased  to 
believe  them  when  they  told  these  tales  about  places  which 
they  themselves  did  not  visit,  and  where,  consequently,  they  did 
not  wish  us  to  go.  However,  as  we  had  gone  as  far  as  we 
wished  to  do  for  that  trip,  we  were  not  anxious  to  press  the 
matter,  and  so  we  determined  to  land,  see  the  people,  and  then 
return. 

We  had  to  land  in  a  canoe,  as  the  reef  was  too  shallow  and 
rough  for  a  boat.  The  people  lived  on  a  high  hill  far  inland. 
They  were  all  well  armed,  as  usual,  as  they  were  at  war  with 
almost  every  other  district  farther  inland  and  on  either  side 
of  them.  What  a  blessing  it  was  for  those  people  when  the 
reception  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  caused  war  to  cease,  and 
taught  them  all  to  live  together  in  peace,  and  to  love  each 
other  as  He  hath  commanded. 

From  Matakan  we  returned  to  Tukul,  Kabanut,  and  Kalil. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    127 

At  this  last-named  place  the  chiefs  had  a  large  present  of  food 
ready  for  us  on  our  return.  They  had  evidently  taken  the 
broad  hint  I  gave  them  when  there  before.  After  receiving  the 
present,  I  was  taken  by  the  chief  to  ;an  enclosure  near  the 
village,  of  an  oblong  shape,  the  gate  of  which  was  carefully 
fastened.  On  entering,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  small  piece  of 
ground  about  a  quarter  of  an  acre  in  size,  surrounded  by  a 
live  fence,  and  kept  well  weeded  and  very  clean.  At  one  end 
of  the  enclosure  there  was  a  large  house  containing  two  large 
chalk  images,  one  of  which,  representing  a  man,  was  much 
larger  than  the  other,  which  represented  a  woman.  The  man 
was  represented  as  wearing  a  high  conical  hat  and  a  large  frill 
or  ruff  round  the  neck.  They  were  gaudily  painted  ;  and  so 
were  the  posts  of  the  house.  I  could  not  find  out  what  use 
they  made  of  them.  I  find  the  following  remarks  in  my  diary  | 
written  at  the  time  :  "  I  do  not  think  that  they  are  objects  of 
worship,  or  idols,  in  the  strict  meaning  of  the  word,  and  yet 
they  evidently  view  them  with  some  superstitious  regard,  as 
they  dance  to  them,  and  strictly  forbid  all  women  and  children 
to  go  near  the  place  where  they  are  kept.  The  people  here 
have  also  smaller  images  made  of  chalk,  which  they  keep  in 
their  houses.  Most  of  these  figures  are  representations  of  men 
or  women,  generally  in  a  sitting  posture,  and  having  either 
a  high  conical  hat  or  a  helmet  on  their  heads,  and  a  large 
frill  round  the  neck.  They  are  rude  enough  as  specimens  of 
art,  but  interesting  as  suggesting  some  questions,  which  at 
present  it  is  rather  difficult  to  answer.  From  what  source  did 
these  people,  who  are  destitute  of  all  clothing,  get  the  idea  of 
the  conical  hat,  the  plumed  helmet,  the  stiff  frill,  the  praying 
attitude,  and  the  Gothic-shaped  arch  or  covering  which  many  of  J 
the  figures  are  holding  over  their  heads  ?  It  is  too  soon  to 
affirm  anything  positively,  but  as  the  costume  is  similar  to  that 
worn  in  the  days  of  Elizabeth  and  James,  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  we  have  here  traces  of  the  visits  of  early  navigators, 
of  which,  as  far  as  we  know  at  present,  the  very  tradition  has 
died  out.  I  am  told  by  Mr.  Blohm,  who  resided  for  many  years 


128  GEORGE    BROWN 

at  Yap,  in  the  Caroline  Islands,  that  the  traces  of  the  idolatrous 
worship  introduced  by  the  Spanish  priests  many  years  ago  may 
still  be  observed,  incorporated  with  the  heathen  worship  which 
prevails  there,  though  the  natives  have  quite  forgotten  the 
source  from  which  they  are  evidently  derived." 

I  succeeded  afterwards  in  buying  some  of  those  large 
figures,  and  took  them  to  Sydney,  where  they  attracted  great 
attention.  Professor  Liversidge,  of  the  University,  pronounced 
the  material  to  be  true  chalk,  and  stated  that  this  had  not 
before  been  found  in  those  parts.  When  I  went  to  take  the 
images  from  the  sacred  place  in  which  they  were,  we  had  to  go 
at  midnight,  taking  with  us  large  baskets  in  which  to  hide  them, 
and  scouts  were  sent  out  all  around  the  place  to  see  that  no 
woman  or  uninitiated  man  or  boy  should  look  upon  them  as  we 
carried  them  to  the  boat.  These  images  were  unfortunately 
burnt  in  the  Garden  Palace  in  Sydney,  which  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

We  reached  Port  Hunter  again  at  midnight. 

On  November  4  we  started  again  for  New  Ireland  in  order 
to  arrange  for  stationing  a  teacher  at  Kalil,  and  also  to  select 
a  suitable  site  for  his  house.  We  left  at  4  a.m.  We  steered 
by  the  compass  through  the  pouring  rain.  The  weather  was 
so  thick  that  though  we  knew  that  we  must  be  close  in  with 
the  land,  and  were  all  of  us  looking  out  most  intently  for  it,  we 
could  not  see  it,  though  it  is  more  than  2,000  feet  in  height, 
until  it  started  out  almost  under  our  bows,  not  more  than  two 
or  three  cables'  length  from  us.  We  soon  reached  Kalil,  but 
did  not  attempt  to  land,  as  the  surf  was  high  and  we  were 
afraid  to  remain  at  anchor.  We  landed  Mr.  C,  communicated 
with  the  chiefs,  and  then  started  back  for  Port  Hunter,  having 
fortunately  got  a  sight  of  the  land  through  a  rift  in  the  clouds. 
This  gave  us  our  course,  and  so  our  little  launch  steamed 
steadily  on  through  the  mist  and  rain  until  we  saw  Port 
Hunter  right  ahead,  and  were  soon  ashore,  wet  and  tired 
enough.  We  found  on  this  trip  that  our  boiler  should  have  been 
protected  from  the  weather.  Not  only  was  there  a  great  loss 


A    NATIVE    OF    THE    SOUTH    END    OF    NEW    BRITAIN. 
In  that  district  the  sides  of  the  head  are  compressed  in  infancy  to  elongate  itk 


PIONEER  WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    129 

by  radiation  of  heat,  but  in  heavy  rain  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  keep  up  steam.  Had  there  been  a  strong  wind  when  we 
were  so  close  in  with  the  New  Ireland  coast  we  could  not  have 
kept  off  it,  as  we  could  not  get  up  steam  enough  to  drive  the 
boat  when  the  rain  was  pouring  down  so  heavily. 

On  November  16  we  started  for  New  Britain.  We  found 
Ratu  Livai  and  Peni,  the  teachers  at  Rabuan,  both  ill,  so 
that  I  could  not  take  Peni  on  to  Matupit  as  I  had  intended 
to  do.  After  giving  them  medicine,  I  prepared  to  start  for 
Matupit,  but  we  were  detained  some  time  by  a  quarrel  amongst 
the  natives,  which  at  one  time  threatened  to  end  seriously, 
and  to  involve  us  also.  Tokoropa,  a  chief  of  Rabuan,  where 
the  teachers  then  were,  was  angry  because  Peni  was  about  to 
be  removed,  and  he  rushed  out  with  his  spears  and  wished 
to  kill  Toporapora,  the  Matupit  chief.  Toporapora  seized  a 
musket  and  wished  to  fight  Tokoropa  at  once,  but  our  engineer 
and  others  got  hold  of  htm  and  put  him  on  board  the  launch 
again,  and  I  went  on  shore,  explained  matters,  and  got  them 
pacified.  We  then  went  to  Matupit,  and  I  got  a  little  quinine 
from  Captain  Milne  of  the  Susanne  for  the  sick  teachers  ;  but  it' 
was  then  too  late  to  return  to  Rabuan. 

November  17.  Early  this  morning  we  ascended  the 
volcano  in  Blanche  Bay,  in  company  with  Captain  Luzer  of 
the  Susanne  and  Mr.  Blohm.  The  crater  was  of  great  depth, 
with  almost  perpendicular  sides,  and  was  still  smoking  in 
many  places  ;  but  the  most  recent  eruption  seemed  to  have 
been  on  the  lower  land  near  the  beach,  where  we  found  the 
ground  quite  loose  and  very  hot,  with  a  good  deal  of  sulphur 
on  the  surface.  The  sides  of  the  crater  were  full  of  the  nests 
of  the  megapodes.  This  bird  does  not  build  mounds  here, 
as  in  other  places,  but  deposits  its  eggs  in  the  warm,  loose 
ashes  of  which  the  hill  is  formed.  We  heard  from  Captain 
Milne,  on  our  return,  that  the  Matupit  people  had  refused 
to  allow  him  to  land  a  trader  on  the  island.  They  would 
have  a  teacher,  they  said,  but  no  trader,  as  they  fought  the 

9 


130  GEORGE   BROWN 

other  traders  who  were  there  before,  and  burnt  their  houses, 
and  they  were  afraid  of  any  such  thing  happening  again.  After 
a  late  breakfast  we  returned  to  Rabuan,  brought  back  Peni 
and  family,  landed  them  on  Matupit,  and  then  slept  on  board 
the  brig.  A  good  day's  work. 

Next  day  I  went  on  shore  at  Matupit,  paid  for  the  house, 
and  had  a  long  talk  with  the  people.  Left  with  Captain  Milne's 
boat  in  tow.  We  steamed  round  the  bay,  and  called  at 
Diwaon.  We  could  not  anchor  there,  as  our  56  Ib.  weight 
would  not  hold  the  launch  when  there  was  any  wind  or  swell. 
Our  proper  anchor  was  lost  at  Rotuma,  whilst  being  used  to 
anchor  a  buoy  for  the  John  Wesley,  and  we  often  felt  the  loss 
very  much  indeed.  We  managed  to  make  fast  to  a  tree,  but 
the  canoes  crowded  about  so  much  that  we  were  anxious  to 
get  away.  I  went  on  shore  and  found  all  friendly.  We  left 
Captain  Milne's  boat  there,  and  started  back  for  Port  Hunter 
with  a  strong  breeze  right  abeam,  and  a  nasty  cross  sea 
running.  Our  sail  was  torn  in  pieces  in  one  of  the  squalls, 
but  we  bent  the  boat  sail  to  steady  the  launch,  and  so  got 
home  all  right  at  sunset. 

Two  days  after  our  return  from  New  Britain  (November  20) 
we  started  for  New  Ireland  at  5  a.m.,  to  station  the  teachers 
who  had  been  appointed  to  that  island.  We  had  a  fine  run 
over  to  Kalil ;  landed  the  teachers,  Elimotama,  Pauliasi  and 
wife  ;  paid  for  teachers'  house,  had  a  long  talk  with  the  chiefs, 
and  then  started  for  Port  Hunter  again.  It  was  a  miserable 
journey  back.  We  first  steamed  up  the  New  Ireland  coast 
for  several  miles  against  a  very  heavy  wind  and  sea,  and  then 
managed  to  anchor  out  of  reach  of  the  heavy  swell  under  the 
lee  of  a  small  reef,  where  we  decided  to  remain  until  evening, 
hoping  that  the  wind  would  then  take  off.  We  took  the 
whale-boat  as  near  the  beach  as  the  heavy  surf  would  allow 
us,  and  then  Mr.  C.,  myself,  and  a  few  of  the  natives,  swam 
on  shore  to  try  to  shoot  a  few  birds.  As  we  were  swimming 
ut  to  the  boat  again,  I  remembered  that  the  natives  had 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    131 

told  us  that  the  alligators  were  especially  numerous  in  this 
part ;  and  I  am  sure  I  never  swam  faster  in  my  life  than  I 
did  then  ;  and  right  glad  I  was  to  get  on  board  again.  We 
started  again  in  the  evening  for  Port  Hunter  :  the  wind  was 
still  high,  and  this,  with  the  heavy  sea  and  a  strong  westerly 
current,  soon  set  us  far  to  leeward  in  the  darkness.  Our 
little  launch  worked  well ;  but  with  a  heavy  boat  in  tow  she 
made  but  little  progress  against  so  many  difficulties.  We 
did  not  reach  Port  Hunter  until  dawn,  so  that  we  were  about 
twelve  hours  under  steam  in  making  about  twenty  miles  of 
a  direct  course.  We  often  made  the  same  passage  under  more 
favourable  circumstances  in  about  three  hours.  It  was  very 
hard  work  indeed  attending  to  the  engine  for  so  many  hours, 
and  our  chief  engineer  Jack  was  often  quite  worn  out,  and 
I  had  to  take  charge  and  make  him  take  some  rest.  In  my 
diary  I  wrote  on  my  return  :  "  From  to-day  must  date  the 
first  settlement  of  teachers  in  New  Ireland.  May  God  grant 
that  the  time  may  soon  come  when  the  eyes  of  these  people 
will  be  opened  to  see  the  wondrous  beauties  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  and  their  feet  be  directed  into  the  way  of  His 
testimonies." 

After  this  I  had  the  unusual  experience  of  being  five 
days  at  home.  These  were  used  in  cleaning  the  launch, 
painting  the  boat,  and  other  necessary  work.  On  the  evening 
of  November  26  I  received  a  note  from  Ratu  Livai  telling 
me  that  he  was  very  ill.  The  weather  was  not  at  all  settled, 
and  I  feared  that  we  should  have  a  very  unpleasant  passage 
across,  but  I  felt  we  must  make  the  attempt.  The  teachers 
would  have  fared  badly,  poor  fellows,  if  I  had  not  remained 
behind  with  them.  In  my  diary  I  wrote  that  night:  "I  am 
very  glad  indeed  that  I  stayed  here,  as  remittent  and  inter- 
mittent fevers,  I  fear,  are  more  prevalent  here  than  we  thought 
they  were.  I  have  been  feeling  anxious  and  homesick  all 
the  evening.  This  letter  of  poor  Livai's  has  unsettled  me ;  he 
thinks  he  is  dying,  and  wishes  me  to  go  at  once." 

We   started   at    6.30    a.m.   next    day,    November   27,   and 


132  GEORGE    BROWN 

returned  to  Port  Hunter  at  7  p.m.  the  same  day,  having  visited 
Peni  at  Matupit,  and  Ratu  Livai  at  Rabuan.  This  showed 
of  what  great  use  our  smart  little  Henry  Reed  was  to  us 
when  we  were  able  to  do  so  much  in  one  day.  I  found  Peni 
still  ill  with  fever  and  ague,  but  a  little  better  than  he  had  been. 
Gave  him  a  fresh  supply  of  quinine,  etc.  We  then  examined 
the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  under  the  "  Mother,"  wishing  to 
find  a  watering  place  for  the  steamer.  We  hoped  to  be  able 
to  get  a  supply  by  digging.  The  water  we  got  was  in  little 
shallow  holes  scooped  out  in  the  black  mud.  Filled  one  cask, 
and  then  started  for  Rabuan.  Found  Ratu  Livai  a  little 
better,  and  wishful  to  remain  ;  so,  after  staying  with  them 
some  time  we  left  and  had  a  fine  run  home.  Ratu  Livai 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  Tokoropa,  one  of  the  chiefs. 
He  said  that  no  Christian  man  in  Fiji  or  white  man's  land 
could  have  showed  him  more  kindness  during  his  illness,  or 
manifested  more  sympathy  towards  him.  The  Rabuan  people 
all  seemed  very  kind,  and  assured  me  over  and  over  again  that 
they  would  "  look  out,"  i.e.  take  care  of  the  teacher  and  his 
wife.  They  had  seen  us  so  often  lately  that  I  was  quite 
familiar  now  to  them  all.  This  constant  journeying  was  hard 
work  and  involved  no  little  strain  on  the  constitution,  but  we 
could  not  remain  at  anchor  whilst  so  much  remained  to  be 
done.  I  was  rarely  more  than  a  few  days  at  home  at  one 
time,  and  so  our  work  got  on  much  faster  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  done.  People  saw  us  and  got  to  know  us, 
and  little  by  little  our  proper  position  and  work  was  made 
known  to  the  natives. 

I  returned  from  New  Britain  on  Saturday,  November  27. 
Monday  was  spent  in  cleaning  up  and  preparing  for  another 
journey.  On  Tuesday  we  buried  our  first  dead,  a  Fijian  teacher 
called  Timothy,  which  made  us  all  very  sad ;  and  on  the 
afternoon  of  November  30  started  for  New  Ireland.  After  a 
good  run  we  slept  at  Kalil  the  same  night. 

We  started  from  Kalil  at  7.15  a.m.  on  December  i,  intending 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    133 

to  go  much  farther  down  the  coast  than  we  were  able  to  go 
before.  We  passed  Matakan,  our  extreme  limit  on  the  previous 
journey,  about  1 1  a.m.,  but  did  not  land.  We  reached  Kuras 
at  half-past  one.  From  Kalil  to  that  place  (Kuras)  the  coast 
consists  of  a  low  mountain  range  extending  right  down  to 
the  water's  edge,  with  patches  of  fringing  reefs  and  occasional 
outlying  detached  patches  or  shoals,  but  not  extending  for 
any  great  distance  from  the  beach.  As  we  went  farther  north- 
west we  noticed  that  the  range  gradually  decreased  in  height, 
but  it  was  not  until  we  returned  that  we  were  told  that  the 
island  is  so  narrow  at  a  place  called  Kurumut  (near  Kuras) 
that  a  man  shouting  on  one  coast  could  be  heard  and  answered 
by  another  man  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  island.  This 
we  found  out  afterwards  was  false.  On  our  arrival  at  Kuras 
we  had  lots  of  canoes  alongside,  and  in  due  time  the  chiefs 
came  off.  We  had  some  little  talk,  and  then,  as  La  Bera, 
the  Kalil  chief,  said  that  it  was  safe,  I  went  on  shore.  We 
climbed  up  a  steep  cliff  to  the  village,  and,  sitting  down  near 
a  tree,  I  tried  to  talk  to  them  a  little,  but  found  that  it  was 
very  difficult  indeed  to  fix  the  attention  of  many  of  the  people, 
especially  that  of  the  chief,  who  had  invited  me  to  visit  him. 
I  scolded  him  for  his  inattention,  and  threatened  to  leave  it 
he  did  not  listen  to  me ;  so  I  got  a  more  attentive  audience 
whilst  I  tried  to  tell  them  why  we  had  come  so  far  to  see 
them.  I  gave  them  a  few  presents,  and  got  some  pigs,  etc., 
in  return  ;  and  then  as  night  was  drawing  on  I  went  on  board, 
and  we  started  away  at  once  for  Kalil,  which  place  we  reached 
at  9.30  p.m.,  good  steaming  all  the  way.  It  was  not  until 
after  we  landed  at  Kalil  that  I  learnt  that  the  chief  I  scolded 
for  being  so  inattentive  had  killed  a  man  the  day  before  we 
arrived,  and  at  the  very  time  I  was  scolding  him  was  interested 
in  some  culinary  operations  which  were  being  carried  on  in 
a  house  close  to  where  we  were  sitting.  Kaplen,  one  of  our 
lads,  went  into  a  house,  and  saw  the  women  engaged  in  roasting 
the  thigh  and  leg  of  a  man  on  some  hot  stones.  He  was 
so  frightened  that  he  would  not  sit  down  all  the  time  we 


i34  GEORGE    BROWN 

were  there.  I  noticed  this  at  the  time,  but  did  not  know 
then  the  reason  of  his  conduct,  as  I  was  quite  unconscious 
of  the  horrible  affair,  though  the  house  was  only  a  few  yards 
distant,  and,  in  fact,  I  passed  quite  close  to  the  door.  I  asked 
Kaplen  why  he  did  not  tell  me  at  the  time,  but  I  could 
get  no  reply  from  him.  He  afterwards,  however,  told  some 
of  the  others,  and  they  told  me.  He  said  :  "  I  did  not  tell 
the  missionary,  because  I  knew  he  was  such  a  fool  that  he 
would  try  and  get  it  (the  thigh  and  leg)  away  from  them. 
Then  they  would  be  angry,  and  would  probably  kill  him,  and 
if  so,  I  knew  they  would  kill  me  also  ;  and  so  I  thought  it 
best  not  to  tell  him."  The  man,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  met 
his  death  justly,  as  he  himself  came  to  murder  any  one  he 
could  find  belonging  to  Kuras. 

As  I  wished  to  know  a  little  more  of  New  Ireland  than  we 
could  find  out  by  an  occasional  visit,  I  determined  to  return 
to  Port  Hunter  in  the  launch,  leave  her  there  at  the  moorings, 
and  return  in  the  whale-boat.  There  was  no  safe  anchorage 
at  Kalil,  but  we  could  draw  the  boat  up  on  the  beach. 

On  December  3  I  left  the  launch  at  anchor,  and  started 
for  Kalil  in  the  whale-boat  at  9.30  a.m.  In  the  launch  we 
could  have  gone  easily  in  about  three  hours,  but  we  were 
compelled  to  sit  until  3.30  p.m.  in  the  hot,  blazing  sun  before 
we  got  on  shore,  with  aching  heads  and  weak  bodies.  At 
night,  after  prayer,  I  got  a  lot  of  the  men  into  the  house  to 
give  me  some  words  and  sentences  from  which  to  form  an 
alphabet  for  the  use  of  the  teachers. 

Next  day  I  went  to  Kabanut  in  a  small  canoe.  This 
village  is  about  six  miles  north  of  Kalil.  We  passed  close 
to  a  settlement  of  the  bushmen,  and  as  there  was  a  temporary 
peace  between  them  and  the  coast  villages,  they  were  down 
on  the  beach  fishing.  As  I  much  wished  to  open  communication 
with  them,  I  went  close  in  to  the  reef  and  beckoned  the  chief 
to  come  and  speak  with  me,  as  we  were  then  in  shallow 
water.  He  came  ;  but  when  I  saw  more  than  a  hundred  of 
those  wild  cannibal  fellows  all  armed  and  all  crowding  round 


PIONEER  WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    135 

our  little  canoe,  gesticulating  and  shouting,  I  half  repented 
going  so  near  them.  They  did  not,  however,  mean  us  any 
harm ;  and  after  dividing  a  little  tobacco  and  a  few  beads 
amongst  them,  we  went  on  our  way.  The  chief  was  daubed 
all  over  with  lime.  They  were  the  wildest  lot  I  have  ever 
seen,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  well  away.  On  our  way  back 
in  the  evening,  a  few  of  them  were  still  there,  and  two  or 
three  came  out  to  us,  and  gave  us  a  few  smoking-hot  bananas, 
which  were  doubly  acceptable,  as  showing  that  they  appreciated 
our  kindness,  and  also  because  we  were  very  hungry.  At 
Kabanut  I  went  inland,  saw  the  people,  and  arranged  for  the 
location  of  a  teacher  in  a  few  months.  I  was  quite  weary  and 
exhausted  when  we  reached  Kalil.  That  night  I  wrote,  "  Truly 
the  spirit  is  willing,  and  I  want  to  do  all  I  can  whilst  I  am 
here,  but  this  body  of  mine  rebels  occasionally." 

Sunday,  December  5.  This  morning  we  held  the  first 
regular  service  on  New  Ireland.  We  assembled  near  the  shade 
of  some  large  trees  on  the  seashore,  just  in  front  of  the  teachers' 
house.  A  lot  of  men  from  Kabanut,  where  I  went  yesterday, 
had  accepted  my  invitation,  and  came  to  look  at  our  service. 
It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  those  men  walking  along  the 
shore  for  such  a  purpose.  They  were  all  armed,  for  no  man 
there  stirred  a  foot  without  spear  or  tomahawk,  and  they  would 
never  have  dreamed  of  going  into  another  town  without  being 
well  prepared  for  fighting.  Many  of  the  spears  had  a  human  leg- 
or  arm-bone  on  the  throwing  end,  giving  plenty  of  proof 
of  the  cannibalism  of  the  people.  It  was  a  calm,  clear,  hot 
day,  and  a  Sunday's  feeling  of  rest  seemed  to  pervade  both 
sea  and  land.  I  conducted  the  first  part  of  the  service  in 
Fijian,  and  then  addressed  them  in  pigeon  English,  which 
Kaplen  interpreted  to  Le  Bera,  and  Le  Bera  to  the  people.  In 
this  way  we  managed  to  make  them  understand  very  well. 
The  New  Ireland  language  differs  a  good  deal  from  Duke  of 
York,  especially  in  having  many  aspirates,  which  are  quite 
wanting  on  the  latter  island.  I  was  very  glad  to  see  Le  Bera 
(the  chief)  clothed  in  a  shirt  and  waistcloth,  and  his  wives  and 


136  GEORGE    BROWN 

daughters  each  wearing  a  handkerchief  or  small  piece  of  cloth. 
After  telling  the  people  about  the  Lotu,  I  explained  to  them 
fully  the  position  of  the  teachers,  and  they  clearly  understood 
the  relationship  in  which  they  were  placed,  and  their  own 
duties  towards  them.  I  was  well  pleased  with  the  state  of 
affairs  at  Kalil.  Hitherto  our  work  had  been  far  easier  than 
we  had  any  reason  to  expect  that  it  would  be. 

I  wrote  in  my  diary  on  that  Sunday  evening  :  "  No  mission 
could  have  had  a  more  promising  beginning  than  ours  has 
had  in  all  these  islands.  I  believe  that  our  principal  difficulties 
in  the  future  will  arise  from  the  great  difference  between  the 
dialects,  the  constant  feuds  between  the  villages,  and  the  want 
of  authority  amongst  the  chiefs.  But  as  our  knowledge  of 
the  language  increases,  we  shall  no  doubt  be  able  to  decrease 
very  much  the  number  of  dialects  as  we  introduce  the  use 
of  books  in  our  schools  ;  and  the  reception  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  will  soon  produce  peace  and  order  where  now  all  is 
discord  and  confusion." 

On  December  6  I  took  a  photograph  of  Le  Bera,  the 
chief,  and  the  natives  crowded  round  to  see  it,  and  were  quite 
excited  when  they  recognised  the  likeness.  One  old  man 
placed  a  small  branch  of  a  tree  on  my  shoulder,  and  another 
one  gave  me  a  bread-fruit  leaf,  the  meaning  of  which  I  did  not 
understand  until  told  that  it  was  a  complimentary  way  of 
expressing  their  opinion  that  I  was  a  very  clever  fellow  indeed, 
worthy  of  all  praise,  and  that  they  especially  fully  appreciated 
my  worth,  and  were  delighted  with  my  performance.  I,  of 
course,  smiled  sweetly,  and  was  highly  gratified  at  receiving 
such  a  compliment  ;  but  my  opinion  of  its  disinterestedness  was 
much  diminished  when  I  found  that  I  was  expected  to  pay 
for  it  by  a  return  present,  and  that  such  a  present  would  be 
preferred  in  the  shape  of  beads  or  tobacco.  Alas  for  my 
satisfaction  and  pride !  Had  they  been  willing  to  receive  an 
equal  number  of  return  compliments  in  the  shape  of  small 
branches  and  dead  leaves,  I  should  still  have  felt  some  gratifica- 
tion ;  but  there  was  something  so  suspicious  in  their  desire 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    137 

for  tobacco  that  I  took  no  further  pleasure  in  the  compliment. 
However,  I  conformed  to  the  custom  once  or  twice;  but  next 
day,  on  shooting  a  pigeon  for  our  dinner  from  a  high  tree  near 
an  old  chief's  house,  I  so  excited  his  admiration  of  my  skill, 
or  his  desire  for  a  smoke,  that  he  rushed  out  with  another  large 
leaf  for  my  shoulder,  which,  however,  I  politely  declined,  fearing 
that  such  a  profusion  of  compliments  would  excite  unduly  my 
own  pride,  and  would  materially  diminish  my  stock  of  tobacco 
and  beads  ! 

.  I  heard  quite  incidentally  that  day  of  a  man  there  who  had 
killed  a  man  from  another  village  a  short  time  ago,  brought 
him  down  to  the  village,  and  sold  him  to  Le  Bera  for  food. 
It  was  referred  to  as  being  quite  an  ordinary  transaction  between 
buyer  and  seller. 

We  reached  Port  Hunter  at  6.30  a.m.  on  December  10, 
having  been  all  night  pulling  over  from  New  Ireland. 

Sunday,  December  12.  In  the  morning  I  preached  to  the 
teachers.  Toporapora,  and  the  Matupit  people  were  over  to- 
day. They  had  been  murdering  some  poor  wretches  from 
Kininigunan,  whom  they  caught  going  out  to  fish  last  week. 
They  killed  the  four  who  were  in  the  canoe.  Two  of  the  bodies 
sank,  but  they  took  the  other  two  to  Matupit  and  ate  them. 

We  started  on  December  15  for  another  part  of  New 
Britain,  as  I  was  anxious  to  see  a  little  more  of  the  mainland 
in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  which  we  had  previously 
examined.  Our  Port  Hunter  natives  were  afraid  to  go,  so  we 
called  at  Waira  and  got  four  men  from  there,  then  steamed  to 
Meoko  to  get  an  interpreter,  and  after  lots  of  bother  got  fairly 
away.  We  made  the  land  near  Cape  Palliser,  and  then  steered 
south-west  along  the  shore  of  a  small  bight.  The  land  there 
consists  of  a  comparatively  low  range  of  hills,  descending,  as 
usual,  "  steep  to "  the  sea.  The  whole  range  is  well  wooded, 
and  very  beautiful.  Cocoanuts  are  more  abundant  there  than 
in  any  other  part  we  had  then  visited  ;  in  fact,  in  many  places 
not  only  the  shore  but  the  hillsides  were  covered  far  inland 


138  GEORGE    BROWN 

with  the  palms.  From  the  large  size  of  the  plantations  we 
observed  as  we  steamed  along  the  coast,  we  inferred  that  there 
must  be  a  large  population  there,  whilst  the  long  tracts  of  un- 
inhabited country  abounding  in  nut-trees  showed  that  the  people 
must  have  been  much  more  numerous  formerly.  The  natives 
were  continually  pointing  to  the  sites  of  former  villages,  and 
when  we  asked  where  the  people  now  were,  the  answer  was : 
"  O  man  Meoko,  he  fight  them,  he  kaikai  (eat)  all." 

We  steered  for  a  place  where  we  thought  there  must  be 
water.  We  found  the  stream,  but  could  not  go  near  enough 
to  get  water.  The  natives  crowded  on  the  beach,  but  made 
no  hostile  demonstration.  They  soon  began  to  trade  with  eggs, 
fowls,  etc.,  and  at  length  I  persuaded  the  chief  to  come  in 
the  boat,  when  I  gave  him  a  piece  of  print  for  a  waistcloth, 
and  a  few  beads.  As  he  got  a  little  more  confidence,  I  took 
him  on  board  the  launch,  and  showed  him  how  the  engine 
worked,  and  then  after  saying  a  few  words  to  him  through  the 
interpreter,  telling  him  that  I  was  a  missionary,  and  what 
missionary  meant,  I  let  him  go,  to  his  evident  satisfaction. 
We  did  not  land  there,  as  we  could  see  a  number  of  natives 
partially  hidden  in  the  bush  close  to  the  beach.  Though  they 
were  probably  only  placed  there  to  guard  against  treachery  on 
our  part,  we  thought  it  best  not  to  attempt  a  landing.  We 
then  steamed  some  few  miles  farther  down  the  coast,  and 
called  at  another  village,  where  a  great  many  natives  came  off 
to  barter  sugar-cane,  yams,  taro,  etc.,  and  then,  as  night  was 
scorning  on,  and  we  saw  no  safe  place  in  which  to  anchor,  we 
tarted  for  our  return  journey.  We  reached  Meoko  at  10  p.m. 

I  wished  to  visit  Port  Carteret  and  also  Port  Praslin  if 
possible,  so  as  to  form  some  opinion  of  the  population  on  that 
coast.  King  Tom,  who  captured  the  Lavinia,  had  sent  up, 
asking  me  to  go  and  see  him.  At  first  I  did  not  entertain 
the  proposition,  as  the  man  was  certainly  a  murderer,  if  Capt. 
Brodie's  account  was  correct  On  further  consideration,  however, 
I  decided  to  go  and  hear,  at  all  events,  what  he  had  to  say. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    139 

We  left  Port  Hunter  at  2  a.m.  on  December  21,  but  did 
not  get  away  from  Waira  until  3.30  a.m.,  as  we  had  to  wake 
up  old  Liblib,  the  chief,  Dukduk,  and  the  other  men  who  were 
going  with  us.  J.  Holmes,  Setaleti,  and  myself,  formed  the  rest 
of  the  party.  We  had  a  fine  run  across,  and  then  down  the 
coast,  going  very  fast  under  wind  and  steam.  We  reached  Port 
Carteret  (Lamasa)  in  the  afternoon.  There  were  not  many 
people  living  there,  and  I  was  not  at  all  favourably  impressed 
with  those  who  came  on  board.  They  could  all  speak  a  little 
English  (as  this  place  was  once  a  place  of  resort  for  the 
whalers),  were  very  forward,  and  the  greatest  beggars  I  have 
ever  met.  This  port  is  formed  by  two  islands  lying  off  the 
mainland,  the  largest  of  which,  Cocoanut  Island,  on  which  the 
natives  live,  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  the  coast  at  any 
great  distance  from  it.  The  scenery  in  the  port  is  very  beautiful, 
the  mountain  ranges  being  all  densely  wooded  down  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  deep  blue  water.  As  soon  as  a  squall  passed 
by  we  steamed  ahead,  and  about  nine  miles  farther  down  the 
coast  we  entered  Cowers  Harbour,  formed  by  Wallis  Island 
lying  off  the  land.  This  harbour  or  channel  was  very  beautiful 
indeed  as  we  passed  quickly  along  it  just  before  sunset. 
Everything  was  as  still  as  possible,  except  our  fussy  little 
steamer.  We  dropped  our  anchor  at  Port  Praslin  just  at  sunset. 
I  went  on  shore  at  once  with  the  boat,  and  got  off  a  good 
supply  of  water,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  a  start  at  any  time.  There 
were  no  natives  living  there,  but  those  from  Metlik  (King  Tom's 
village)  could  easily  come  overland  when  any  vessel  anchored. 
It  is  a  better  harbour  than  Port  Carteret,  and  was  always  con-j 
sidered  to  be  quite  safe  until  the  capture  of  the  Lavinia  and 
the  massacre  of  many  of  her  crew  about  two  years  before. 
Since  then  no  merchant  vessels  had  visited  the  place.  I  was 
very  tired,  but  kept  watch  for  some  time  whilst  the  natives 
who  went  with  us  were  giving  me  all  the  particulars  of  the 
capture  and  massacre. 

On  December  22    we   started  early   from  Port  Praslin.      I 
walked  some  distance  along  the  shore  whilst  Jack  was  getting 


140  GEORGE    BROWN 

up  steam  in  the  launch.  We  saw  the  tracks  of  natives,  but 
they  had  evidently  been  frightened  at  seeing  us,  or  they  had 
gone  to  report  our  arrival.  As  soon  as  we  got  on  board  we 
made  good  progress  in  the  still  water  in  the  early  morning, 
and  about  three  miles  from  Port  Praslin  we  rounded  Cape  St. 
George,  the  extreme  south  point  of  New  Ireland,  and  soon 
afterwards  we  lost  sight  of  New  Britain,  and  were  well  on  the 
other  side  of  New  Ireland.  Metlik,  where  King  Tom  lived, 
is  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  Port  Praslin  by  sea,  but  is 
much  nearer,  I  think,  overland.  As  soon  as  we  anchored  there 
I  sent  the  boat  on  shore  with  Liblib  and  the  natives,  to  tell 
Tom  that  I  had  come  a  long  way  to  see  him,  on  his  invitation, 
but  that  now  I  wished  him  first  to  come  off  and  see  me  in  the 
launch.  He  came  at  once,  bringing  another  chief  with  him. 
Both  were  unarmed.  Tom  was  dressed  in  a  marine's  coat,  and 
the  other  chief  looked  very  well  in  a  blue  jacket.  They  com- 
menced talking  at  once  about  the  Lavi'm'a,  and  both  of  them 
wished  me  to  believe  that  they  had  nothing  at  all  to  do  with 
it.  They  said  that  the  schooner  was  taken  by  men  belonging 
to  Baul,  a  village  a  little  distance  from  Metlik.  Tom  said  that 
he  was  angry  when  it  was  done,  as  he  wished  to  stand  well 
with  the  white  men,  and  so  he  went  at  once  and  fought  the 
Baul  men,  and  killed  and  ate  two  of  them.  This  was  Tom's 
account  of  the  affair,  but  I  do  not  at  all  avouch  its  truthfulness. 
He  said  also  :  "  I  have  always  been  good  to  the  white  men  ; 
some  of  them  have  lived  here  with  me ;  whalers  have  left  their 
sick  men  here,  and  when  they  died  I  buried  them  properly, 
and  they  lie  on  my  land  now."  After  some  more  talk  I 
laughingly  asked  him  if  he  would  "  fight "  or  kill  me  if  I 
landed,  as  they  had  done  with  the  Lavinia's  crew.  He  laughed, 
and  asked  me  if  he  looked  like  fighting.  We  landed,  and  after 
some  talk  with  the  people  on  shore  I  walked  along  the  beach, 
as  I  wished  to  look  at  a  small  river  which  empties  itself  here. 
I  did  not  feel  that  I  was  incurring  any  risk  in  doing  this,  as 
the  people  were  either  very  friendly  or  too  frightened  at  what 
they  had  done  to  attempt  anything  more  in  the  same  way. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    141 

After  I  returned  from  my  walk  I  took  a  few  photographs,  and 
then  went  on  board  the  launch  to  dinner. 

About  three  o'clock  I  went  on  shore  again,  and  went  up  the 
village  to  Tom's  house,  where  I  found  that  he  had  prepared 
a  large  present  of  taro,  pumpkins,  cocoanuts,  bananas,  and 
a  large  pig.  He  said  ;  "  This  is  yours.  Duke  of  York  man 
he  tell  you  that  I  would  fight  you.  Is  this  fighting  ?  Will 
the  taro  fight  you?  Will  the  bananas  fight  you?  Will  the 
pig  fight  you  ?  No,  no,  me  no  fight  you,  me  plenty  like  you," 
etc.,  etc.  I  made  him  a  few  presents  in  return,  and  then  we 
went  to  another  chiefs  house,  where  we  got  another  present 
minus  the  pig ;  and  so  again  from  a  third  chief,  for  all  which 
I  made  a  suitable  return.  Tom  came  on  board  in  the  evening 
to  say  good-bye,  and  said  several  times  to  me :  "  Missionary, 
suppose  you  hungry  you  come  here  to  this  place  belong  me. 
Plenty  taro,  he  stop  here,  full,  full,  me  give  him  you.  Boat 
belong  you,  he  go  down,  sink  with  taro,  bananas,  and  yams. 
Suppose  you  hungry  come  here  ;  me  very  good  fellow,  yes, 
me  good  fellow."  Whether  he  was  such  a  very  good  fellow 
or  not  I  could  not  tell,  but  he  treated  us  very  well,  and  up 
to  the  unfortunate  Lavinia  affair  he  was  always  considered 
to  be  the  best  man  on  the  Islands,  and  Port  Praslin  to  be 
the  safest  and  best  anchorage.  I  bought  a  quadrant,  the 
Livinicts  Articles,  and  a  Savings  Bank  deposit  book  from  the 
natives,  but  saw  no  other  property  belonging  to  the  vessel. 
The  language  here  seemed  to  be  quite  different  to  that  spoken 
at  Kalil  and  other  places  in  New  Ireland,  and  I  was  more 
and  more  confirmed  in  the  opinion  that  we  must  depend  in 
a  great  measure  on  our  native  agents  in  our  endeavours  to 
give  these  people  the  Gospel.  White  missionaries  could  never 
be  found  for  all  these  varying  dialects. 

We  left  Metlik  at  sunset,  and  about  9  p.m.  Jack  went  to 
sleep,  as  he  was  really  tired  out  with  the  heat  and  excitement 
of  the  day.  I  acted  as  engineer  and  stoker  until  3  a.m.  The 
night  was  calm  and  we  made  good  progress.  There  was  no 
moon  visible,  but  it  was  starlight  and  clear,  and  I  quite  enjoyed 


142  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  night  as  we  steamed  past  Port  Praslin  again,  away  up 
Gowers  Harbour,  with  the  land  close  to  us  on  both  sides, 
towering  above  us  gloomy  and  still,  the  death-like  silence  of 
the  dense  forests  unbroken  by  any  sound  of  beast  or  bird,  as 
our  little  launch,  belching  out  fire  and  smoke,  and  lighting  with 
a  lurid  glare  the  water  which  she  dashed  from  her  bows,  sped 
away  on  her  homeward  course.  Fortunately  there  were  few 
outlying  reefs  here,  and  we  had  a  good  pilot  in  old  Liblib, 
so  we  had  no  difficulty  in  making  Port  Carteret  again.  The 
people  at  the  village  there  called  out  to  us,  but  we  only  answered 
them  and  kept  on  our  way.  At  8  a.m.  we  were  at  Tomum's 
place,  where  we  anchored  for  awhile  and  took  in  water.  After 
that  we  had  a  weary  day's  steaming  up  the  coast  to  Kalil. 
The  furnace  bars  must,  I  think,  have  been  choked  up,  and  we 
were  very  short  of  coals,  so  that  we  had  great  difficulty  in 
keeping  up  steam  enough  to  propel  the  boat  two  or  three  miles 
an  hour  against  wind  and  current.  We  did  not  reach  Kalil 
until  about  midnight,  after  our  30  hours'  passage  from  Metlik. 

On  December  24  we  took  in  wood  and  water,  and  prepared 
to  start  for  Port  Hunter.  This  place  (Kalil)  was  full  of 
bushmen  and  men  from  the  east  side  of  the  island.  They  had 
brought  some  pigs,  and  were  on  a  friendly  visit,  but  both 
hosts  and  visitors  were  well  armed  every  hour  of  the  day. 
I  saw  three  of  the  principal  chiefs  from  the  east  side  of  the 
island,  and  made  them  a  few  presents,  telling  them  that  I 
intended  to  visit  them  some  day  soon. 

On  January  17,  1876,  I  wrote  as  follows:  "I  have  again 
been  warned  that  some  men  at  Utuan  and  Kerawara  intend 
to  kill  me,  because  some  of  their  men  were  killed  by  the 
captain  and  crew  of  a  trading  vessel  some  time  ago.  King 
Dick  told  me  so  the  other  day,  and  Waruwarum  again  to-day. 
He  laid  his  hand  on  his  breast  and  said  :  '  I  feel  here  that  it 
is  quite  true,  and  am  so  much  afraid,'  etc.  I  told  him  that  we 
were  much  obliged  to  him,  but  that  we  didn't  believe  the  tale, 
and  were  not  afraid  to  go  to  Utuan  and  test  the  truth  of  the 


PIONEER  WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    143 

report.  Dick  told  Mr.  Blohm  the  other  day  that  we  are  a  most 
intractable  set  of  white  men  !  Other  white  men  (he  said)  did 
what  they  told  them,  and  only  went  to  places  where  they 
told  them  to  go,  but  we  go  anywhere  and  everywhere.  Poor 
Dick,  he  doesn't  like  it,  but  we  are  not  likely  to  alter  our 
plans.  If  I  had  listened  to  these  people  our  Mission  would  not 
have  been  known  outside  of  Duke  of  York  Group  and  two 
or  three  of  the  nearest  villages  on  the  large  islands.  I  mean  to 
call  at  Utuan  to-morrow,  where  these  fellows  live,  and  ask  them 
if  the  tale  is  true.  There  is  no  presumption  at  all  in  this. 
I  am  as  careful  as  any  one  ought  to  be  ;  but  I  am  certain  that 
these  tales  are  most  of  them  manufactured  to  prevent  us  from 
going  to  certain  places,  and  I  cannot  allow  our  work  to  be  so 
hindered.  I  was  solemnly  assured  the  other  day  that  Mijieli's 
illness  was  caused  by  poison  ;  but  he  had  not  the  slightest 
symptom  of  poisoning.  It  was  simply  a  case  of  remittent 
fever  ;  and  I  feel  certain  that  this  story,  though  told  in  such  a 
plausible  manner,  is  just  another  case  of  lying,  so  that  even 
if  we  were  to  be  attacked  to-morrow,  I  feel  quite  justified  in 
calling,  as  at  present  I  have  no  reason  to  apprehend  such  an 
attack." 

We  started  early  on  January  18  for  Birara,  intending  from 
there  to  explore  the  coast  right  down  to  Matupit.  We  called 
at  Waira  and  then  at  Meoko  to  get  an  interpreter.  From 
Meoko  we  went  to  Utuan,  the  place  where  the  men  lived  who, 
according  to  Dick  and  others,  intended  to  kill  us.  We  inquired 
for  the  individuals  and  sent  an  invitation  for  them  to  come 
on  board  the  launch,  but,  as  usual,  they  were  not  at  home, 
and  we  were  told  they  didn't  live  there,  but  at  another  island 
some  distance  away.  Tuki,  the  chief  of  Utuan,  came  on  board, 
and  I  got  him  to  go  with  us  as  interpreter.  This  also  served 
another  purpose,  as  I  wished  to  get  friendly  with  these  Utuans, 
who  were  rather  a  wild  lot,  and  I  knew  no  better  way  than 
that  of  taking  the  chief  away  with  us  in  the  launch  for  a  few 
days.  I  asked  Tuki  whether  it  was  true  that  some  of  his 
people  had  been  talking  of  killing  us,  but  he  only  laughed. 


i44  GEORGE    BROWN 

So  there  may  after  all  be  some  little  truth  in  the  report  that 
some  fellows  had  talked  about  it,  though  I  still  believe  they 
never  seriously  meant  it.  As  we  steamed  through  the  Utuan 
passage,  old  Guriraram,  the  Meoko  chief,  came  off ;  and  as  he  is 
a  well-known  chief,  I  willingly  took  him  on  board,  and  we  were 
soon  outside  and  making  good  progress  with  wind  and  steam 
towards  the  New  Britain  coast.  We  soon  found  that  old 
Guriraram  was  not  likely  to  be  of  much  service  to  us,  as  he  had 
been  fighting  so  often  with  the  people,  and  had  killed  and 
eaten  so  many  of  them,  that  he  was  dreadfully  frightened  when 
we  went  near  the  beach,  and  ran  and  hid  himself  under 
the  foredeck  when  any  of  the  natives  came  off  to  us.  He  was 
also  very  frightened  when  there  was  much  wind  or  sea,  and  very 
anxious  to  get  home  again.  We  called  at  several  places,  but 
did  not  go  on  shore  until  we  reached  Ledip,  the  place  we  had 
previously  called  at  on  our  first  visit  here.  There  was  a  great 
crowd  of  natives  on  the  beach,  and,  as  usual,  they  were  all  very 
anxious  to  trade,  but  my  first  inquiry  was  for  our  boat  rowlocks 
which  were  stolen  on  our  previous  visit,  and  I  told  them  that 
there  would  be  no  trading  until  they  were  returned  to  us.  A 
few  young  men  were  sent  away  at  once,  and  we  all  waited  until 
they  returned  with  the  rowlocks.  I  then  engaged  a  lot  of 
them  to  bring  off  the  fresh  water  we  wanted  for  the  launch,  and 
then  we  bought  the  fowls,  eggs,  yams,  etc.,  they  wished  to 
sell. 

At  sunset  I  went  on  shore  with  old  Guriraram,  who  was  well 
known  there  ;  in  fact,  the  Ledip  natives  had  been  his  allies  in 
his  many  fights  with  the  Birara  people.  There  were  no  houses 
near  the  beach,  as  the  natives  lived  some  distance  inland.  The 
beach  is  all  composed  of  loose  water-worn  shingle,  and  on  this 
the  natives  were  all  assembled,  sitting,  squatting,  and  lying 
round  the  fires  they  had  kindled.  I  thought  this  a  good 
opportunity  for  saying  a  few  words,  and  so,  standing  up  amongst 
the  crowd,  I  spoke  through  one  of  our  Port  Hunter  natives, 
which  he  interpreted  to  Tuki,  and  he  in  turn  interpreted  it  to 
the  Birarans.  The  natives  were  very  attentive  and  seemed  to 


%      -«rr— K' 

?xs    \  • 


Photo  by  Rev.  H.  Fellmann. 

MASKED    "  SPIRIT    DANCERS." 
Note  the  carved  snakes  on  top  of  masks. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    145 

understand  all  that  was  said,  but  as  I  thought  they  would  get 
some  more  information  from  a  quiet  gossip  with  the  chiefs  of 
our  party,  I  asked  Waruwarum,  Kaplen,  and  Tuki  to  tell  them 
all  about  our  doings.  It  was  now  quite  dark,  and  the  crowd  of 
wild-looking  natives  looked  fiercer  and  more  savage  than  ever, 
as  seen  in  the  glare  of  the  firelight,  backed  as  it  was  by  the 
gloom  of  the  thick  forest,  on  the  edge  of  which  we  were  all 
sitting.  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  have  remained  in  such  a 
place  and  amongst  such  a  crowd  after  dark,  but  I  saw  no 
occasion  for  fear,  and  I  knew  that  it  is  only  at  such  times  that 
it  is  possible  to  get  any  quiet  talk  with  the  people,  as  they  are 
too  much  excited  about  their  trade  in  the  day  time.  So,  merely 
taking  the  precaution  to  have  my  back  towards  the  creek,  I 
lay  down  on  the  warm  shingle,  put  my  head  on  Peni's  lap,  and 
with  Kaplen's  help  as  interpreter,  gossiped  away  to  the  small 
crowd  of  natives  who  gathered  round  us,  whilst  Waruwarum  and 
Tuki  were  talking  with  the  others.  After  lying  there  for  some 
time  the  sand-flies  began  to  get  very  troublesome,  and  we  were 
glad  to  be  able  to  get  on  board  again.  We  spent  a  miserable 
night  there. 

Next  day  the  crowd  of  natives  was  larger  than  ever,  and  old 
Guriraram  seemed  frightened,  and  told  us  that  it  was  not 
prudent  to  stay  any  longer  ;  so  we  prepared  to  go,  though 
I  think  there  was  no  mischief  intended.  We  left  at  8  a.m.,  and 
steamed  along  the  coast  until  we  reached  a  point  near  Cape 
Palliser  ;  but  this  time,  instead  of  returning  direct  to  Duke  of 
York  as  we  had  formerly  done,  we  kept  along  the  New  Britain 
coast,  intending  to  go  right  round  to  Matupit.  Some  distance 
down  the  bay  some  large  canoes  came  off,  and  we  stopped  until 
they  came  up,  notwithstanding  the  protestations  of  our  crew 
that  they  would  murder  us  all.  An  old  chief  came  alongside 
first,  and  we  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  him  on  board,  when 
I  rejoiced  his  heart  by  putting  a  fathom  of  print  round  his 
waist,  and  a  piece  of  red  Turkey  twill  round  his  head.  He  was 
quite  excited,  and  would  insist  on  my  standing  up,  whilst  he 
put  his  arm  round  my  body  and  shouted  to  all  the  people  in 

10 


146  GEORGE    BROWN 

their  own  language  :  "  Missionary,  missionary,  he  no  fight,  no 
fight."  We  made  a  few  purchases  from  them,  and  then  I  gave 
the  old  man  a  piece  of  cord  with  five  knots  on  it,  thus  agreeing 
with  him  in  their  own  way  to  visit  me  at  Port  Hunter  in  five 
days'  time.  He  would  cut  off  a  knot  each  night,  and  so  keep 
to  the  time  agreed  upon.  The  country  here  in  some  places  is  the 
most  beautiful  of  any  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  South  Seas.  At 
this  place,  Kininigunan,  there  are  large  portions  of  the  coast 
range  from  which  the  whole  of  the  bush  has  been  cleared  or  burnt 
off,  and  the  ground  overgrown  with  most  luxuriant  thick  coarse 
grass  of  the  most  vivid  green,  interspersed  with  clumps  of  bush 
in  the  small  ravines  and  with  cocoanut  palms  on  the  beach, 
and  in  clusters  also  over  the  land,  crowning  the  low  range  of 
hills  which  bounds  the  prospect  inland.  It  was  a  most  lovely 
scene,  and  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that  we  were  not  looking  at 
some  highly  cultivated  estate  laid  out  with  exquisite  taste  and 
judgment.  We  passed  many  large  villages  on  our  way  to 
Matupit,  but  we  kept  right  on  our  way  up  the  centre  of  the 
Bay,  not  caring  to  go  near  the  shore  in  the  dark. 

On  my  return  I  wrote  :  "  We  have  now  fully  satisfied  our- 
selves that  the  whole  coast  up  to  Cape  Palliser,  and  for  some 
miles  beyond  at  all  events,  is  densely  populated,  and  affords 
a  fine  field  for  mission  work.  The  great  hindrances,  I  must 
repeat,  will  be  the  same  as  on  New  Ireland,  viz.,  the  lack  ol 
authority  on  the  part  of  the  chiefs,  and  the  constant  feuds  of  the 
people,  which  have  kept  them  so  isolated  from  each  other  that 
the  dialectic  differences  are  now  so  great  as  almost  to  constitute 
different  languages  in  every  district.  Our  little  launch,  however, 
is  doing  wonders  already  in  bringing  these  people  into  contact 
with  each  other,  and  so  breaking  down  the  isolation  in  which 
they  have  hitherto  lived.  We  take  a  few  chiefs  with  us  every 
time  we  go  out,  and  so  they  are  compelled  to  go  to  places 
where  they  would  never  have  dared  to  go  in  their  own  canoes. 
They  meet  the  chiefs  there,  and,  instead  of  enemies,  find  friends 
ready  enough  to  receive  them,  and  in  time,  when  assured  of 
their  good  faith,  to  visit  them  again.  Our  two  Port  Hunter 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    147 

chiefs  had  never  been  here  before,  and  the  wives  of  one  of  them 
cried  and  wept  over  him  as  a  doomed  man  when  he  left  home 
to  come  with  us ;  but  instead  of  being  killed  he  is  welcomed, 
forms  friendly  relations  with  the  chiefs  here,  and  seconds 

• 

heartily  my  invitation  to  them  to  visit  us  at  the  Station,  which 
they  have  promised  to  do.  We  reached  Matupit  about  8  p.m., 
and  I  was  glad  enough  to  get  ashore,  and  slept  quietly  and 
peacefully  on  the  island  amongst  the  people,  against  whom  I 
had  been  so  repeatedly  warned,  and  where  I  was  called  fool- 
hardy and  rash  only  a  few  weeks  ago  for  daring  to  land.  One 
of  the  first  pieces  of  news  I  heard  now  was  that  the  people  had 
of  their  own  accord  begun  to  build  a  small  church. 

"  The  district  called  Kininigunan,  from  which  the  old  chief 
came  out,  as  mentioned  above,  is  that  to  which  the  four  men 
belonged  who  were  killed,  and  two  of  them  eaten,  by  these 
Matupit  people  a  few  weeks  before.  It  was  quite  strange  to-day 
as  we  passed  by  some  of  the  villages  to  hear  Tuki  tell  me,  in 
the  most  unconcerned  manner  possible,  of  events  that  had  taken 
place  there:  'That  fellow  place  he  kaikai  (eat)  three  fellow- 
man  belong  me ;  another  day  me  kaikai  four  men  belong  him. 
Four  fellow-man  me  kaikai '  (eat),  he  said  again,  laughing  quite 
pleasantly,  and  in  a  most  self-satisfied  manner  as  he  held  up 
his  four  fingers.  Blood  feuds  appeared  to  be  easily  made  up  if 
the  one  party  agrees  to  pay.  A  few  fathoms  of  shell  money 
were  quite  sufficient  to  pay  for  a  murder." 

Next  day  (January  20)  we  finished  our  work  at  Matupit, 
called  at  Nodup,  and  reached  Port  Hunter  at  sunset  On  the 
following  day  I  took  Guriraram  and  Tuki  home,  examined  and 
sounded  the  fine  harbour  at  Meoko,  which  we  have  called  Port 
Wesley,  and  got  home  again  the  same  day. 

Our  steam  launch  did  not  lie  long  at  her  moorings  in  Port 
Hunter ;  and  a  few  days  after  our  return  from  New  Britain  I 
found  it  was  advisable  to  go  there  again.  I  was  up  at  3.30  a.m. 
January  27,  but  we  did  not  manage  to  start  until  nearly 
daylight.  It  seems  that  the  old  chief  to  whom  I  gave  the 


148  GEORGE    BROWN 

string  with  five  knots  on  it  to  remind  him  of  his  promised  visit 
to  me  in  five  days'  time,  misunderstood  my  meaning,  or  pretended 
to  do  so,  and  expected  me  to  visit  them  again  in  that  time.  I 
did  not  like  to  disappoint  them  ;  and  as  I  wanted  to  improve 
our  short  acquaintance,  we  started  again  for  New  Britain,  calling 
on  our  way  at  Nakukuru  and  Utuan,  where  we  took  our  old 
friend  Tuki  and  his  son  on  board,  and  then  departed  for  New 
Britain.  We  made  the  coast  at  Tara  na  Kirr,  near  Cape  Palliser, 
and  then  coasted  down  until  we  came  to  Kininigunan.  We 
anchored  close  inshore,  and  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  lot  of 
excited  natives,  all  eager  to  barter.  They  came  off  in  canoes, 
and  on  bamboo  rafts,  whilst  those  who  had  neither  canoe  nor 
raft  swam  off,  and  held  on  by  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  and 
steamer.  We  were  not  more  than  two  or  three  boat-lengths 
from  the  beach,  as  we  could  not  find  anchorage  at  any  greater 
distance  from  the  shore.  I  think  I  was  never  before  in  the 
midst  of  such  a  deafening  uproar  and  excitement.  We  made 
both  steam  launch  and  boat  "  tabu,"  but  it  was  simply  impos- 
sible to  keep  the  people  from  crowding  on  board.  I  knew  from 
past  experience  that  it  would  be  a  very  severe  trial  to  my 
patience  ;  so,  as  soon  as  we  anchored,  I  summoned  up  all  my 
stock  of  that  article  and  resolved  that  nothing  should  disturb 
my  equanimity.  For  a  long  time,  amid  all  that  deafening  noise, 
with  natives  tugging  now  at  one  sleeve  and  then  at  the  other, 
tapping  me  on  almost  every  part  of  my  body,  calling  out, 
"  Missionary,  missionary,  captain,  captain,"  and  endeavouring 
in  every  possible  way  to  attract  my  attention  to  some  rubbish 
or  other  they  wished  me  to  buy,  I  conducted  myself  in  the 
most  amiable  manner,  smiling  sweetly  upon  them  all,  though 
I  was  grinning  in  despair,  and  requesting  them  in  the  most 
pleasant  and  polite  manner  possible  to  leave  our  boat  and  get 
into  their  canoes.  One  individual,  whose  full  dress  consisted 
of  a  small  bead  necklace,  prevailed  upon  me  to  invest  in  the 
purchase  of  a  small  pig,  and  then  presuming  on  the  friendship 
established  between  us,  he  only  laughed  pleasantly  whenever 
I  told  him  to  vacate  the  few  feet  of  our  steam  launch  deck 


PIONEER  WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    149 

which,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  we  had  dignified  by  the  title 
of  the  quarter  deck.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  this  clear,  simply 
as  a  precautionary  measure,  and  also  because  we  could  not 
steer  the  launch  if  there  was  any  one  sitting  on  it,  as  he 
would  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  tiller ;  but  my  friend 
only  smiled  and  pointed  to  his  pig  whenever  I  urged  the 
necessity  of  his  going  on  shore.  After  a  while,  however,  he 
would  yield  to  my  entreaties,  and  take  to  the  water ;  but  as 
soon  as  ever  I  moved  away  he  was  up  again,  and  met  me  with 
the  same  beaming  smile,  pointing  to  the  pig  which  in  an  evil 
hour  I  had  bought  from  him.  I  much  wished  to  talk  to  the 
chiefs  here,  but  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  do  so  whilst 
at  anchor,  so  we  steamed  slowly  ahead  and  actually  ploughed 
our  way  out  through  canoes  and  bamboo  rafts,  until  we  got 
well  outside,  when  we  stopped  and  I  tried  to  say  a  few  words 
to  the  chiefs,  though  I  had  no  good  interpreter.  We  had 
Topulu  (King  Dick)  on  board,  but  he  was  very  frightened, 
and  kept  down  below  all  the  time  ;  and  King  Tom  (lots  of 
kings  there !),  also  from  Port  Hunter,  was  much  perturbed  in 
his  mind  as  the  natives  swarmed  on  board.  He  kept  his  large 
tomahawk  well  in  hand,  and,  standing  with  his  back  against 
the  mast,  did  good  service  by  allowing  no  one  to  go  down 
the  fore  part  of  the  boat.  He  was  about  the  ugliest  fellow  in 
the  group  ;  and  to  that  and  the  tomahawk  I  attributed  the 
influence  which  he  certainly  exercised,  but  which  we  could 
never  command.  I  had  chiefs  on  board  who  had  never  before 
dared  to  go  near  that  district ;  but  they  were  well  received,  and 
a  way  was  opened  for  future  intercourse  and  friendship.  These 
people  had  large  canoes  and  appeared  to  be  a  fine  race  of 
men.  Their  large  fish  traps  were  anchored  far  out  at  sea,  in 
deep  blue  water,  with  a  tall  ornamented  pole  attached  to  them 
as  a  beacon.  The  traps  float  a  few  feet  below  the  surface,  and 
large  quantities  of  fish  are  caught  in  them.  I  had  never  before 
seen  or  heard  of  fish  traps  being  so  placed,  the  general  plan  in 
all  the  Eastern  groups  being  to  place  the  traps  on  the  bottom 
in  comparatively  shallow  water.  We  landed  Tuki  and  son  just 


150  GEORGE    BROWN 

before  dusk,  and  then,  making  a  wide  circuit  to  avoid  a  nasty 
reef  off  Mauke,  we  made  all  haste  to  Port  Hunter,  reaching 
there  about  10  p.m. 

On  Saturday,  January  29,  I  was  surprised  by  seeing  a  boat 
pulling  round  the  point  of  the  bay.  I  ran  down  to  the  beach, 
and  to  my  joy  found  that  the  European  I  had  seen  in  it  was 
Captain  Hernsheim,  just  returned  from  Sydney.  He  told  me 
that  he  had  left  his  vessel,  the  Cceran,  down  the  coast  some 
distance,  and  had  pulled  up  with  a  native  crew.  In  the  evening 
we  got  up  steam,  and  towed  the  schooner  into  port  about  I  a.m., 
and  then  we  got  our  letters  from  home.  Oh  !  how  glad  I  was 
to  get  them,  and  how  thankful  to  know  that  all  at  home  were 
well. 

I  had  long  been  very  anxious  to  go  farther  down  the  New 
Britain  coast  than  we  had  as  yet  dared  to  do,  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  taking  sufficient  coal  to  last  us  on  such  a  long 
trip.  I  talked  with  Mr.  Hernsheim  about  the  matter,  and  as  he 
himself  wished  to  see  Spacious  Bay,  which  was  the  place  to 
which  I  desired  to  go,  he  kindly  offered  to  give  us  a  passage, 
and  to  tow  the  launch  behind  the  vessel,  thus  saving  us  the 
necessity  of  taking  so  much  coal.  We  left  Port  Hunter  on 
Wednesday,  February  9,  at  noon  in  the  Ccerany  with  our  steam 
launch  in  tow  behind  the  vessel. 

Next  day,  February  10,  we  got  a  fine  breeze  at  2  a.m.,  which 
carried  us  well  up  with  Cape  Buller,  but  then  fell  light,  and  we 
made  very  little  progress  until  evening,  when  we  got  well  inside 
the  Bay ;  but  with  thick  weather  and  rain  we  could  see  but  little 
of  the  land.  We  saw  no  signs  of  any  shallow  water  or  of  any 
anchorage.  The  Cceran  was  kept  under  full  sail,  beating  into 
the  Bay  all  night. 

As  we  found  an  entirely  different  people  on  our  subsequent 
visit  to  that  place,  I  think  it  best  to  insert  here  the  account  of 
this  visit  exactly  as  I  wrote  it  at  the  time : 

"Friday,  February  11.  Early  this  morning  we  saw  the 
natives,  as  several  canoes  came  near  the  ship,  but  we  had  very 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    151 

great  difficulty  indeed  to  persuade  any  of  them  to  come  along- 
side. We  threw  beads  and  pieces  of  red  cloth,  which  they 
eagerly  seized,  but  they  were  still  very  shy.  The  general  im- 
pression with  us  was  that  they  had  rarely,  if  ever,  seen  a  vessel 
before.  It  is  not  at  all  a  likely  place  for  any  vessel  to  go  to,  as 
it  is  quite  out  of  the  track,  and  we  could  not  see  the  slightest 
sign  to  indicate  that  they  had  received  any  articles  of  trade 
before.  They  were  quite  ignorant  of  tobacco,  and  wouldn't 
take  it  at  all  for  barter.  Small  strips  of  red  cloth  were  eagerly 
sought  after,  and  so  were  beads  of  all  colours,  but  they  had 
little  or  nothing  to  trade  with,  and  as  the  vessel  began  to  move 
through  the  water  they  soon  left  us.  After  breakfast  Captain 
Hernsheim,  Mr.  Cockerell,  J.  Holmes,  and  myself,  went  in  the 
launch,  leaving  the  vessel  beating  up  the  Bay.  As  we  neared 
the  shore  the  canoes  came  out  to  meet  us,  but  we  kept  on  our 
way,  and  they  followed  us  up.  We  steered  for  a  small  village, 
and  soon  left  the  canoes  behind  us.  As  we  neared  the  beach 
we  saw  a  considerable  number  of  natives  running  and  shouting 
and  waving  to  us  to  go  on  shore.  I  saw  plenty  of  women  and 
children,  and  many  of  them  had  green  boughs  in  their  hands, 
so  we  felt  no  danger  in  going  pretty  close  inshore,  though  we 
did  not  try  to  land  or  to  anchor.  The  canoes  soon  came 
alongside,  and  many  natives  swam  off  from  the  shore,  so  we  had 
a  good  opportunity  for  making  their  acquaintance.  It  was  at 
once  evident  that  these  people  differ  considerably  from  any  we 
had  yet  seen.  They  are  lighter  in  colour,  their  hair  is  finer  and 
not  so  matted  as  that  of  the  natives  farther  north,  and  alto- 
gether they  appeared  to  be  a  finer  race.  This  was  especially 
noticeable  in  the  case  of  the  women,  many  of  whom  seemed 
much  like  the  Eastern  Polynesians — in  fact,  some  of  the  girls 
were  not  much  unlike  Samoans.  Some  of  the  women  and  girls 
came  off  in  the  canoes ;  and  this  also  was  different  from  the 
custom  in  any  other  place,  as  we  very  seldom  see  the  women 
until  we  land,  and  they  never  come  alongside.  Altogether,  the 
impression  made  on  my  mind  was  that  the  women  here  occupy 
a  much  higher  social  position  than  they  do  in  the  other  parts 


152  GEORGE    BROWN 

we  have  visited.  Another  point  of  difference  between  these 
people  and  any  we  have  yet  seen  is  that  these  all  wear  something 
as  a  covering.  The  men  have  a  covering  similar  to  that  worn 
by  the  Fijians  in  their  heathen  state,  and  the  women  wear  the 
banana  leaf.  They  are  all  betel  chewers,  and  have  the  large 
hole  in  their  ears.  They  use  large  shields  made  of  bread-fruit 
wood,  and  their  spears  are  tipped  with  bone.  We  could  not 
stay  very  long,  and  so,  after  steaming  a  little  farther  up  the  Bay, 
we  started  for  the  ship,  and  were  soon  on  board  and  standing 
away  for  Cape  Buller.  Captain  Hernsheim  very  kindly  towed 
the  launch  to  Cape  Buller,  and  then  went  on  his  course.  He 
had  been  very  kind  indeed  to  us,  and  we  felt  sorry  to  have  to 
leave  our  comfortable  quarters  in  the  Cceran  to  go  on  board  the 
launch  for  our  return  voyage.  We  left  the  ship  about  sunset, 
and  by  keeping  close  in  under  the  land  we  had  smooth  water 
all  the  way.  I  was  very  sorry  indeed  to  have  to  go  up  this 
long  line  of  coast  in  the  dark,  as  I  wished  to  see  some  of  the 
people,  but  we  were  afraid  to  remain  so  far  away  from  home,  as 
our  stock  of  fuel  was  low  and  the  launch  was  not  in  very  good 
order.  We  saw  plenty  of  fires  on  our  way  up,  showing  us  that 
the  coast,  which  from  the  ship  we  thought  to  be  uninhabited,  was 
really  occupied  by  a  large  population.  I  was  somewhat  anxious 
about  this  long  journey,  but  we  made  good  way  all  night,  and 
early  in  the  morning  we  were  well  up  with  Cape  Palliser, 
having  had  both  wind  and  current  in  our  favour.  It  was,  how- 
ever, blowing  too  hard  for  us  to  leave  the  shelter  of  the  land, 
and  so  we  steamed  very  cautiously  inshore  and  found  anchorage 
until  daylight." 

On  account  of  the  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  people  to 
associate  with  each  other,  I  had  induced  two  chiefs  of 
Kininigunan  to  visit  us  at  Port  Hunter.  I  could,  however, 
only  succeed  in  doing  this  by  leaving  Mr.  Cockerell  and 
Beni,  the  teacher,  as  hostages  for  their  safe  return.  The  men 
were  terribly  afraid  to  come,  and  at  the  mission  station  they 
very  nearly  involved  us  in  serious  trouble.  They  had  been 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    153 

very  comfortable,  and  we  were  hoping  that  all  our  fears  were 
dispelled,  but  on  the  Sunday  evening  a  native  came  up  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement  and  told  me  that  the  Kininigunan 
chiefs  were  running  away.  On  inquiry  I  found  that  the  cause  of 
their  fear  was  that  they  had  seen  my  boy'Kaplen  laughing,  and 
acting  in  what  they  considered  to  be  a  too  friendly  manner. 
This  with  them  was  a  sign  of  treachery,  and  they  were  afraid 
that  they  were  going  to  be  killed.  We  did  our  best  to  reassure 
them,  and  I  felt  very  glad  indeed  that  they  had  not  succeeded 
in  getting  away,  as  they  might  have  lost  their  lives  in  trying  to 
return  to  their  own  land.  In  any  case,  if  they  had  succeeded 
in  doing  so  they  would  have  gone  under  a  very  wrong  impres- 
sion, and  might  have  created  trouble. 

On  Wednesday,  February  16,  I  left  in  the  whale-boat  at 
6  a.m.  to  open  the  church  at  Nodup,  and  to  return  these  chiefs 
It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  affairs  when  I  state 
that  we  could  not  get  more  than  two  natives  to  accompany  us, 
as  they  were  all  so  frightened  about  going  to  the  places  we 
intended  to  visit.  We  reached  Nodup  about  noon.  As  we 
neared  the  beach  some  natives  came  off  in  canoes,  and  told  us 
that  Tobula  and  Tokaropo,  the  Nodup  chiefs,  were  waiting  on 
shore  to  fight  the  Kininigunan  chiefs  we  had  with  us,  and  urged 
us  to  start  away  at  once.  This  news  alarmed  our  passengers 
very  much.  They  seized  their  paddles  and  began  turning  the 
boat  round,  and  implored  me  to  start  away  immediately.  Some 
other  men  came  off,  and  three  of  them  jumped  into  our  boat  to 
go  with  us  to  Kininigunan,  as  they  belonged  to  that  place,  and 
said  they  were  afraid  to  remain  at  Nodup.  I  tried  to  find  out 
why  the  Nodup  chiefs  were  angry ;  and  they  said  it  was 
because  they  did  not  wish  any  other  place  to  have  the  "  lotu  " 
but  themselves,  and  were  jealous  of  my  giving  anything  to  any 
other  people.  The  case  seemed  very  clear  and  straightforward, 
but  I  was  unwilling  to  give  way  without  seeing  the  chiefs 
myself.  I  could  not,  however,  venture  to  land,  as  my  passengers 
were  in  an  agony  of  fear,  and  were  crying  bitterly  to  me  to  go 
away  at  once  ;  and  I  myself  felt  that  it  would  be  very  unwise  to 


154  GEORGE    BROWN 

run  any  risk,  as  it  might  endanger  the  lives  of  Mr.  Cockerell  and 
Peni,  who  were  at  Kininigunan  as  hostages,  if  any  of  these  chiefs 
were  killed.  I  was  determined,  however,  not  to  leave  matters 
in  such  an  unsatisfactory  way  ;  so  I  sent  Aminio  ashore  in  a 
canoe  to  see  the  teachers  and  chiefs ;  and  then  to  pacify  our 
passengers  we  hauled  our  boat  to  the  wind  and  made  short 
tacks  off  shore  until  Aminio  returned.  In  about  half  an  hour 
we  saw  the  canoe  returning  with  the  two  teachers  and  Tobula 
and  Tokaropa.  On  coming  alongside  they  told  us  that  the 
whole  affair  was  a  vile  falsehood,  that  the  chiefs  were  in  their 
plantations  getting  taro  for  the  crew,  and  never  dreamt  of 
anything  wrong  until  they  saw  our  boat  head  off  shore,  when 
they  ran  down  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  was  heartily  glad 
to  hear  this,  but  felt 'that  it  was  no  use  trying  to  reassure  the 
Kininigunan  chiefs  and  induce  them  to  land.  So  I  asked  the 
Nodup  chiefs  if  they  would  come  with  us  in  the  boat  to 
Kininigunan,  and  thus  assure  the  chiefs  that  they  never 
intended  to  harm  them.  To  this  they  consented.  I  felt  very 
pleased  indeed  that  this  affair  had  ended  so  well.  Had  we 
come  away  from  Nodup  at  once  when  we  heard  those  tales  the 
consequence  might  have  been  very  serious,  as  we  should  have 
offended  the  Nodup  people,  and  the  chiefs  who  were  with  us 
would  probably  have  avenged  the  insult  some  other  day,  and  it 
would  have  been  almost  impossible  for  us  to  convince  them  that 
the  whole  story  was  a  lie.  I  generally  received  native  stories 
with  a  good  deal  of  caution  ;  but  as  this  was  told  us  by  people 
from  four  different  canoes,  I  fully  believed  it ;  and  yet  it  was 
a  wicked  lie  without  having  the  slightest  foundation.  We  had  a 
splendid  journey,  and  reached  Kininigunan  at  3  p.m.  There 
was  great  excitement  on  the  beach  as  we  ran  the  boat  ashore. 
One  of  our  Port  Hunter  men  was  so  frightened  at  the 
number  of  natives  that  he  stayed  some  little  time  in  the 
boat,  but  four  or  five  of  them  seized  him  and  pulled  him 
ashore  in  a  friendly  way,  and  then  they  all  dragged  the  boat 
up  out  of  the  water,  well  pleased  that  we  seemed  to  trust 
them  so  much. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    155 

On  March  11  I  heard  news  from  New  Ireland  that  one  of 
our  party  was  seriously  ill,  and  so  I  started  at  once  in  the 
whale-boat.  The  messengers  who  came  over  reported  that  they 
had  had  a  beautiful  calm  night,  and  we  quite  expected  the 
same.  We  left  Port  Hunter  at  5.30  p.m.,  and  for  the  first  few 
miles  we  had  good  weather,  when  some  ominous-looking  clouds 
appeared  on  the  north-west  horizon.  When  about  mid-channel 
some  very  heavy  squalls  passed  upon  us,  compelling  us  to  take 
in  all  sails,  and  at  the  same  time  covering  and  hiding  the  land 
on  both  sides  of  the  channel.  The  rain  poured  down  in 
torrents.  To  add  to  our  troubles,  we  had  stupidly  left  our 
compass  ashore,  and  so  in  the  thick,  dark  night  we  could  only 
steer  by  the  wind  and  by  the  run  of  the  sea,  both  of  them 
uncertain  guides  in  squalls  such  as  we  experienced,  where  the 
wind  flies  about  from  almost  every  point  of  the  compass.  The 
lightning  was  very  vivid  indeed.  Jack  wished  to  keep  the 
boat  well  up  to  the  north,  but  the  natives  were  most  positive 
that  we  were  steering  right  down  channel,  and  away  from  the 
land  altogether.  I  generally  depend  a  good  deal  upon  the 
natives,  and  so  we  altered  our  course,  but  in  this  instance  we 
found  them  to  be  very  sorry  guides.  After  some  miserable 
hours  of  heavy  rain  and  wind  we  made  the  New  Ireland  coast 
some  six  miles  to  leeward  of  Kalil ;  and  so,  tired  as  we  were, 
we  had  to  pull  dead  to  windward  for  two  or  three  hours.  But 
for  following  the  advice  of  the  natives,  who  were  so  frightened 
that  they  wanted  to  get  to  land  anywhere  at  all,  we  should 
have  gone  straight  to  our  destination,  which  we  did  not  reach 
until  1. 20  a.m. 

Next  day,  Sunday,  I  had  intended  to  open  the  first  church 
on  New  Ireland,  but  the  teachers  and  chiefs  did  not  wish  the 
ceremony  to  take  place  until  it  was  quite  finished  and  they 
had  prepared  some  food  for  any  visitors.  I  preached  on  the 
beach  through  an  interpreter  to  a  very  fair  congregation,  and 
spent  a  good  part  of  the  rest  of  the  day  sitting  alone  in  the 
new  church,  and  wondering  how  long  it  would  be  before  these 
people  would  rightly  understand  what  we  were  trying  to  teach 


156  GEORGE    BROWN 

them.  I  had  faith  enough  to  believe  that  the  time  would 
come  when  the  triumphs  of  Christianity  would  be  as  apparent 
in  New  Ireland  as  they  were  in  Fiji,  and  I  felt  it  no  small 
privilege  and  honour  to  be  the  first  missionary  to  these  poor 
people.  From  Monday  until  the  following  Friday  we  had 
nothing  but  heavy  wind  and  rain  every  day,  and  in  these 
miserable  houses  the  situation  was  not  at  all  a  pleasant  one. 
At  night  especially  we  were  very  uncomfortable.  The  house 
was  dirty  and  leaky,  my  hammock  and  blankets  were  all  wet, 
and  so  we  had  to  manage  to  sleep  as  well  as  we  could  each 
night  on  a  bamboo  platform.  Bamboos  make  a  very  good 
bed  if  you  have  a  good  mattress  or  plenty  of  leaves  to  cover 
them  with,  but  when  there  are  plenty  of  bamboos,  with  no 
mattress,  very  few  leaves,  and  only  one  mat  between  them  and 
your  body,  they  seem  to  get  harder  and  harder  towards 
daylight,  especially  if,  as  in  my  case,  you  have  little  else  than 
bones  to  rest  upon  the  bamboos. 

On  Saturday,  March  18,  we  opened  the  first  church  in 
New  Ireland.  My  donation  towards  the  accompanying  feast 
was  a  pig,  and  the  chief  and  others  gave  vegetables.  I  con- 
ducted the  services,  and  gave  the  people  a  little  talk  about 
social  matters  in  my  sermon.  They  were  anxious  to  get 
clothes,  but  scarcely  knew  how  to  do  so.  I  advised  them  to 
plant  nuts  on  a  large  scale,  and  they  promised  to  do  this.  I 
also  impressed  upon  them  very  definitely  the  necessity  for 
building  better  houses.  Next  day,  Sunday,  Pauliasi  and 
Aminio  preached,  and  after  the  morning  service  I  conducted  a 
Society  Class  in  Fijian,  and  enjoyed  it  very  much  indeed. 
It  was  a  season  of  refreshment  to  us  all.  After  Aminio  had 
preached  in  the  evening  I  gave  out  the  first  attempt  of  a 
translation  of  the  hymn  "  Come  to  Jesus."  I  had  to  act  as  the 
precentor;  and,  though  I  had  never  before  been  thought  to 
possess  any  great  vocal  talents,  the  novelty  of  the  affair  must, 
I  suppose,  have  excited  the  imagination  of  the  natives,  to  the 
detriment  of  their  musical  taste.  They  professed  to  be  very 
much  pleased  with  the  song  in  "  Duke  of  York  talk."  Two  of 


PIONEER  WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    157 

them  waited  on  me,  not  with  a  garland  of  leaves,  but  with  some 
wild  ginger  "plant,  as  an  expression  of  their  admiration.  I 
might  have  been  proud,  if  I  could  only  have  felt  that  this  was 
an  entirely  disinterested  tribute  of  appreciation,  but  alas  !  the 
consciousness  that  I  was  expected  to  pay  for  the  worthless 
ginger,  by  a  present  of  food  and  a  viler  but  more  valuable 
weed  .called  tobacco,  excited  in  me  the  fear  that  the  delight 
they  expressed  was  more  attributable  to  their  desire  for  tobacco 
than  to  their  true  appreciation  of  our  hymn. 

On  May  9  we  started  for  New  Britain.  For  a  long  time  I 
could  get  no  crew  at  all  to  go  with  us.  They  knew  that  we 
were  going  to  Nogai,  and  so  all  refused,  saying  that  they  were 
afraid  of  being  killed.  I  was  determined  not  to  be  beaten,  and 
so  went  down  to  the  boat,  intending  to  cross  with  Jack  and  one 
of  the  teachers,  and  trust  to  getting  men  at  Nodup.  Just  as  we 
were  going  on  board,  however,  I  persuaded  two  young  men 
and  a  boy  to  come  with  us.  We  got  a  light  breeze  about  noon 
and  started.  The  sun  was  very  hot  indeed.  About  half-way 
over  we  got  a  foul  wind  with  heavy  squalls.  Our  boom  was 
carried  away,  and  we  had  to  lower  the  jib  before  we  could 
steer  the  boat  at  all.  Then,  to  add  to  our  misfortunes,  a  split 
in  one  of  the  planks  opened  out  with  the  working  of  the  boat, 
and  the  water  came  rushing  in  in  a  way  which  terribly  alarmed 
the  natives.  At  the  same  time  the  rain  came  pouring  down  in 
torrents,  and  we  were  not  able  to  see  the  land.  We  were  in 
some  danger  of  sinking,  as  the  boat  was  filling  rapidly.  One 
of  the  lads  fortunately  had  a  shirt  on,  which  I  took  off  and 
spread,  with  some  of  my  own  clothes,  over  the  leak,  and  then 
made  one  of  the  boys  sit  upon  it  to  hold  it  down  whilst  the 
others  were  bailing  ;  and  we  managed  to  keep  the  boat  fairly 
clear.  After  about  two  hours'  rain  it  cleared  up  a  little,  but  we 
had  a  long,  weary  pull  to  Rabuan,  not  reaching  there  until  it 
was  quite  dark.  Our  little  launch  at  this  time  was  broken 
down.  Had  she  been  available  we  should  have  been  over  at 
9  a.m.,  instead  of  spending  such  a  miserable  day  as  we  did.  I 


158  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  heartily  glad  to  reach  the  teacher's  house,  change  my  wet 
clothes,  drink  a  little  hot  tea,  and  lie  down  to  get  some  ease 
from  a  splitting  headache. 

Next  day  we  repaired  the  boat,  and  prepared  for  our 
journey  down  the  coast.  There  was  a  fight  that  day  close 
to  the  village,  and  a  woman  was  speared.  At  night  the  chief 
and  some  of  the  people  returned  from  Utuan.  As  soon  as  they 
landed  there  was  a  quarrel  between  them  and  one  of  the 
chiefs  who  had  remained  behind,  and,  as  usual,  the  spears  were 
soon  handled.  I  went  down  to  the  beach  and  parted  the 
combatants,  and  then  sat  down  and  had  a  long  talk  with  them 
all,  telling  them  that  the  time  was  at  hand  when  those  constant 
fights  must  cease,  and  when  men  everywhere  should  live  in 
peace  with  their  fellow-men.  It  was  a  good  opportunity  for 
saying  a  few  words  to  them,  and  I  took  full  advantage  of  it. 
Tobula,  the  chief,  tried  hard  to  dissuade  me  from  going  to 
Nogai.  He  finished  by  saying  that  he  was  frightened  about  us  ; 
that  we  would  be  getting  killed,  and  then  when  the  captain  of 
the  John  Wesley  came  again  and  asked  where  was  the  missionary, 
he  might  think  that  they  had  killed  us.  One  of  the  two  traders 
in  the  group  told  me  that  the  natives  tried  "  to  take  him  " 
twice  at  Mioko,  once  at  Diwaon,  at  Tara  na  Boul,  and  once  at 
Nanup  ;  and  the  other  had  been  threatened  with  a  tomahawk 
quite  recently  at  Waira.  I  believe  that  the  reason  of  this  was 
that  the  natives  who  formed  the  crew  of  the  traders  were  not 
kept  sufficiently  under  control  by  the  white  men.  They  had 
rifles  given  them,  and,  relying  on  these,  they  were  apt  to  be  saucy 
and  to  provoke  the  people  whose  villages  they  were  visiting. 
They  were  also  so  frightened  themselves  that  they  displayed  their 
weapons  unnecessarily,  and  used  them  too  readily.  Up  to  this 
time  we  had  never  been  molested,  nor,  so  far  as  we  knew,  had 
we  been  in  any  serious  danger.  But  then  we  were  on  our 
Master's  business,  and  in  His  hands.  One  of  my  correspondents 
wrote :  "  It  must  be  very  nice  for  you  to  know  that  so  many 
people  are  praying  for  you."  This  is  very  true,  and  often  the 
thought  that  God's  people  were  praying  for  us  comforted  us 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    159 

in  our  trials,  and  strengthened  the  faith  which  was  ready  to  fail. 
It  was  a  constant  source  of  confidence  and  strength,  and  did  not, 
I  am  sure,  tend  to  make  us  rash  or  careless.  Our  object  was 
to  keep  to  the  safe  path  of  duty ;  and  that  is  as  far  from  pre- 
sumption on  the  one  hand  as  it  is  from  cowardice  on  the  other. 

On  May  1 1  we  started  just  about  daylight,  with  the  trader's 
boat  in  company,  to  explore  a  part  of  the  north  coast.  It 
was  a  calm  morning,  but  with  thick,  heavy  clouds  all  round 
the  horizon.  We  called  at  Cape  Stephens  and  took  in  Tokabene 
(Towel),  a  chief  who  was  well  known.  We  then  pulled  across 
to  Man  Island  (Uatam).  The  people  all  ran  away  when 
we  landed,  but  after  some  persuasion  a  few  returned.  The 
old  chief  I  saw  was  dreadfully  frightened,  but  I  did  not  find 
out  the  reason  until  some  time  after  we  left  the  island,  when 
I  learned  that  the  chief  whom  we  brought  with  us  from  Cape 
Stephens  had  made  use  of  us  to  frighten  the  old  man  in  order 
to  get  the  payment  of  some  old  debt.  It  was  very  annoying 
to  me  afterwards  when  I  learned  that  whilst  we  were  doing 
our  best  to  assure  the  people  of  our  peaceable  intentions,  the 
cunning  chief  was  telling  them  that  we  were  his  friends,  and 
that  he  had  engaged  us  to  lay  waste  the  whole  island  if  his 
debt  was  not  paid.  Needless  to  say,  the  debt  was  paid  at 
once.  We  did  not  see  many  people  there,  and  the  island  did 
not  appear  to  be  thickly  populated.  We  were  told  that  food 
was  often  very  scarce  there,  and  that  the  people  died  from 
starvation  ;  but  I  do  not  think  that  is  probable,  as  cocoanuts 
are  plentiful,  and  the  land  seems  quite  capable  of  cultivation. 

After  leaving  Man  Island  we  stretched  across  to  the  main- 
land, close  hauled  with  a  fine  south-east  wind.  We  made  the 
land  just  below  a  large  village  called  Rarup,  and  from  there  we 
pulled  up  just  outside  the  reef,  passing  several  large  villages 
on  our  way.  One  village,  called  Kabakada,  seemed  to  be  very 
populous  indeed.  From  Kabakada  we  had  a  long  pull  against 
the  wind  across  a  wide  bay.  The  coast  there  is  formed  in 
some  places  of  straight,  perpendicular,  low  cliffs  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  On  the  top  is  a  terrace  of  level  ground,  from 


160  GEORGE    BROWN 

which  the  hills  rise  some  distance  inland.  We  called  at  Ratavul, 
a  large  village,  but  could  not  stay,  as  it  was  getting  dark,  and 
a  heavy  squall  was  evidently  almost  close  upon  us  from  the 
westward.  We  stood  away  again,  after  asking  the  chiefs  to 
go  to  Nodup  in  the  morning.  The  wind  was  now  right  aft, 
and  the  sky  of  almost  inky  blackness.  Our  boat  tore  through 
the  water  before  the  strong  breeze,  and  we  were  fortunately 
able  to  double  the  point  before  the  rain-squall  burst  upon  us. 
After  we  rounded  the  Cape  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents, 
and  though  we  were  under  the  lee  of  the  land  the  wind  came 
in  such  strong  gusts  that  we  had  to  be  very  careful  indeed. 
We  had  to  pull  the  rest  of  the  way  through  the  heavy  rain, 
which  quite  cowed  our  New  Britain  natives,  and  made  some 
of  them  worse  than  useless.  We  were  glad  enough  to  reach 
our  anchorage. 

The  mountain  range  on  the  island  of  New  Ireland  was 
in  full  view  of  us  from  our  house  on  Duke  of  York  Island, 
and  I  had  often  wondered  whether  it  was  inhabited  by  inland 
tribes,  how  wide  the  island  was,  and  whether  it  was  possible 
to  cross  it.  I  questioned  the  natives  about  it  many  times,  but 
could  get  no  reliable  information.  All  they  told  me  was  that 
the  interior  was  inhabited  by  a  wild  and  fierce  people,  of  whom 
they  were  very  much  afraid,  that  there  were  no  proper  tracks, 
and  that  any  one  attempting  to  cross  would  certainly  be  killed 
and  eaten.  When  I  told  them  that  I  intended  to  do  this, 
they  very  plainly  called  me  "  a  fool,"  and  positively  refused 
to  accompany  me.  I  made  the  attempt,  however,  on  two 
occasions,  but  was  compelled  to  return,  because  the  men  I 
engaged  as  carriers  positively  refused  to  go  more  than  one 
or  two  miles  inland.  I  was  thus  obliged  to  organise  a  party 
entirely  independent  of  the  New  Ireland  natives.  Mr.  W.  Hicks, 
a  half-caste  trader  from  Nodup,  joined  us  at  Port  Hunter  with 
his  boat's  crew,  and  we  left  the  mission  station  on  Monday, 
May  30  (1876),  and  reached  Kalil  on  the  west  coast  the 
same  day. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    161 

Next  day  we  left  Kalil  at  7  a.m.  Our  party  consisted  of 
W.  Hicks,  J.  Holmes,  and  myself,  four  men  from  Kalil,  in- 
cluding the  teacher,  and  the  two  boat  crews.  We  ascended 
the  bed  of  the  small  river  Matakin  for  some  little  distance, 
and  then  struck  off  over  the  first  range.  The  ascent  was  very 
steep,  and  in  many  places  we  had  to  climb  up  a  path  which 
was  almost  perpendicular.  The  range  on  the  west  side  of 
the  island  is  composed  of  hard  coral  limestone,  and  is  all  densely 
wooded.  From  a  small  pocket  aneroid  which  I  carried  I  found 
that  the  readings  ranged  from  29-95  on  the  beach,  to  27-20 
on  the  highest  point  reached.  This  would,  I  think,  give  a 
height  of  about  2,500  feet.  After  reaching  the  summit  of  the 
range  we  travelled  along  a  pretty  regular  tableland,  where 
the  readings  varied  from  27-80  to  27-95.  From  this  point  we 
descended  regularly  through  a  country  where  the  road  led 
alternately  through  thick  bush  and  open  land  covered  with 
thick,  high,  coarse  grass.  The  land  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
island  is  composed  of  a  hard  yellow  clay,  and  slopes  much 
more  gradually  to  the  beach  than  it  does  on  the  western  side. 

The  first  village  we  came  to  is  called  Rataman.  It  is 
situated  about  seven  miles  inland  from  the  east  coast.  As  we 
approached  the  village  a  man  met  us,  and  requested  us  to 
stand  and  get  all  our  party  together  before  entering  it.  This 
we  did,  and  he  then  went  before  to  announce  our  approach. 
When  we  entered  the  village  we  could  see  only  one  old  man, 
who  stood  facing  us  with  his  spear  and  shouting  out  as  loudly 
as  he  could,  "  Ah !  ah  !  ah  ! "  which  seemed  to  be  an  expression 
of  welcome.  Then  suddenly  some  twenty  or  thirty  men,  painted 
with  ochre  and  lime  as  for  war,  and  armed  with  spears  and 
tomahawks,  rushed  out  from  the  backs  of  the  houses.  With 
spears  poised,  and  brandishing  their  tomahawks,  they  made 
towards  us,  shouting  as  though  about  to  fight  or  kill  every  one 
of  us.  We  all  stood  still,  and  they  rushed  close  up  to  us, 
making  their  spears  quiver  and  shake  as  they  held  them  only 
a  few  feet  from  our  faces,  as  though  they  were  about  to  hurl 
them  at  us.  Then  with  a  loud  yell  they  turned  and  ran  back 

n 


162  GEORGE    BROWN 

almost  to  the  place  from  which  they  started,  but  only  to  return 
again  as  before.  This  time,  however,  they  rushed  past  us  and 
kicked,  struck,  and  jumped  against  the  fence  behind  us  in 
the  most  excited  manner.  Some  of  our  party  stood  with 
spears  advanced  as  if  for  defence,  and  when  the  challengers 
had  retired  one  or  two  of  them  became  the  attacking  party 
and  made  the  same  hostile  demonstrations  against  the  towns- 
people. I  much  admired  the  attitude  of  one  fine,  well-built 
young  fellow,  when  he  stopped  short  and  stood  facing  the 
people,  as  though  about  to  dart  his  spear  at  them  ;  his  whole 
body  seemed  to  quiver  with  excitement,  and  though  his  arm 
was  apparently  still  he  made  the  spear  buckle  and  bend  in 
a  most  surprising  manner. 

After  this  display  of  welcome  was  over  the  people  all 
crowded  round  us,  anxious  to  be  introduced  to  the  first  white 
men  they  had  ever  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing.  I  inquired 
for  the  chief,  and  found  that  he  was  not  present,  but  was  at 
a  village  nearer  the  coast.  I  then  asked  for  his  wife,  and 
made  her  a  present  of  a  few  beads,  when  we  passed  on,  as  I 
was  anxious  to  reach  the  beach  before  dark.  The  name  of 
the  chief  here  was  Ririana  ;  the  village  contained  about  two 
hundred  people,  as  near  as  we  could  judge  ;  but  there  were  many 
similar  villages  scattered  about  in  the  same  neighbourhood. 
About  two  miles  farther  down  we  came  to  a  village  called  Walari, 
where  we  found  two  chiefs,  named  Harnharum  and  Lomu,  to 
each  of  whom  I  had  given  a  few  little  presents  when  I  met 
them  in  Kalil.  They  brought  us  a  lot  of  betel-nuts,  bananas, 
yams,  etc.,  and  much  desired  us  to  stay  all  night ;  but  I  wished 
to  have  them  all  together  in  the  morning,  and  so  asked  them 
to  come  down  to  the  town  on  the  beach,  where  we  intended  to 
sleep.  Four  or  five  miles  farther  brought  us  to  the  shore, 
where  we  were  well  received  by  two  chiefs  I  had  seen  at 
Kalil.  They  brought  yams,  cocoanuts,  etc.,  in  return  for  the  few 
presents  I  had  then  given  them.  One  of  them,  called 
Kainbugina,  also  brought  a  pig  and  a  lot  of  yams,  ostensibly 
as  a  present,  but  really  for  sale.  The  house  given  us  to  sleep 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    163 

in  was  much  larger  and  better  built  than  any  I  had  yet  seen 
in  New  Ireland.  It  was  shaped  much  like  the  canoe  houses 
of  Eastern  Polynesia  and  was  quite  open  at  one  end.  It  was 
the  large  house  of  the  village,  where  all  the  young  unmarried 
men  lived  together.  Along  the  sides  and  across  one  end  were 
ranged  low  benches  of  bamboo,  and  on  these  the  men  sleep 
in  order  to  escape  the  attacks  of  sand-flies  and  other  insects, 
which  are  numerous  there,  and  plagued  some  of  our  party  very 
much.  There  was,  however,  room]  enough  at  one  end  for  my 
hammock  ;  and,  preferring  that  to  the  bamboos,  I  had  it  hung 
there,  and  was  glad  enough  to  get  into  it  after  our  long  walk. 
Before  sleeping,  however,  I  went  down  to  the  shore,  and  saw 
a  large  island  called  Gerrit  Denys  to  the  north,  and  a  smaller 
one,  which  I  took  to  be  one  of  the  Caen  Islands,  bearing  about 
ENE.  I  do  not  think  that  New  Ireland  is  more  than  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  wide  here,  though  we  must  have  walked  a 
much  greater  distance  than  that. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  we  had  service  with  the 
people  in  the  village  square  ;  we  sang  a  hymn  in  Duke  of  York 
language  ;  Elimotama  the  teacher  prayed  in  the  Kalil  dialect, 
which  the  people  seemed  to  understand,  after  which  I  ad- 
dressed them  in  Fijian,  and  Elimotama  acted  as  interpreter. 
The  people  were  all  very  attentive.  I  then  paid  the  chiefs  for 
the  food,  etc.,  which  they  had  given  to  us ;  and  as  Sagina,  the 
principal  chief  there,  was  waiting  to  conduct  us  to  his  village, 
we  were  soon  on  the  way  again.  We  walked  along  the  coast 
to  the  south-east  for  about  five  miles,  passing  several  small 
villages  on  our  way. 

The  name  of  the  chief,  Sagina,  means  the  Smeller  or  Smelling 
of;  and  he  was  so  called  because  they  said  the  smell  of  cooked 
meat,  either  of  human  bodies  or  of  pig,  was  seldom  absent  from 
his  village.  When  we  reached  the  town  we  were  shown  a 
shady  place  under  some  trees,  and  there  we  sat  down.  There 
are  no  large  houses  for  the  reception  of  visitors  in  any  of  these 
islands,  as  in  Fiji,  Tonga,  Samoa,  etc. ;  in  fact,  they  have  so 
few  visitors  that  none  are  needed.  After  we  had  been  sitting 


1 64  GEORGE    BROWN 

awhile  one  of  the  teachers,  who  had  been  looking  about  came 
and  told  me  what  he  had  seen  in  a  house  close  to  where  we 
were  sitting,  and  so  I  went  to  inspect  it  myself.  The  house 
into  which  I  entered  was  about  40  ft  in  length  ;  the  ridge  pole 
was  about  12  ft.  from  the  ground  and  was  supported  by  three 
large  pillars.  The  sides  of  the  house  were  about  4  ft.  in  height, 
and  all  closely  reeded,  so  as  to  be  spear  proof.  Along  the  sides 
and  across  one  end  were  fixed  the  low  sleeping  benches  of  the 
young  men.  The  house  was  quite  black  inside  with  smoke. 
Along  the  battens  were  hung  the  jawbones  of  the  men  and 
pigs  which  had  been  eaten  there,  and  on  one  batten  I  counted 
thirty-five  human  lower  jawbones,  some  blackened  with  smoke 
and  others  only  slightly  discoloured,  showing  that  they  had 
not  hung  there  very  long.  To  some  of  the  posts  other 
parts  of  human  bodies  were  hung  which  I  cannot  describe,  and 
on  one  of  the  battens  I  noticed  a  human  hand  with  some  of 
the  smoke-dried  flesh  still  remaining  on  it.  There  were  also 
a  large  skull  and  bones,  which  they  told  us  belonged  to  a 
fierce  amphibious  animal  which  devoured  dogs  and  pigs  like 
an  alligator,  though  they  said  it  was  not  an  alligator.  Just  out- 
side the  door  of  the  house  there  was  a  cocoanut  tree,  which 
was  notched  for  a  considerable  height  :  every  one  of  those  notches 
also,  we  were  told,  represented  a  human  body  which  had  been 
killed  and  eaten  there.  I  counted  seventy-six  notches  on  one 
side  of  the  tree  ;  but  as  I  was  sitting  some  distance  away  I  did 
not  like  to  go  and  look  at  the  other  side.  I  intended  to  look 
when  we  passed  it,  but  forgot  to  do  so. 

After  sitting  awhile  we  strolled  through  the  village.  A  human 
skull  painted  red  and  blue  was  stuck  on  the  branch  of  a  dead 
tree  in  front  of  one  of  the  houses,  and  I  noticed  the  same  ornament 
in  front  of  the  h^se  belonging  to  the  chiefs  son.  This  house 
was  strictly  tabu ;  it  was  enclosed  with  a  low  wall  of  coral, 
and  no  one  was  allowed  to  enter  it  but  the  young  man  himself: 
his  wife  or  wives  occupied  a  house  some  distance  away.  I 
then  inspected  the  house  in  which  some  young  girls  were  confined, 
of  which  I  give  a  description  (pages  212-215),  then  I  had 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN     165 

a  long  talk  with  the  chief,  trying  to  induce  him  to  take  us 
down  the  coast  in  some  canoes  ;  but  he  said  that  he  was  frightened 
to  go,  and  also  he  had  no  canoe.  I  then  tried  hard  to  purchase 
two  canoes,  that  we  might  go  ourselves,  but  failed  to  do  so. 
My  intention  was  to  pull  down  the  coast  as  far  as  the  part 
opposite  to  Kuras  on  the  west  side,  where  I  had  been  before, 
and  where  I  knew  that  the  island  was  very  narrow.  I  would 
then  have  sent  for  the  boat  to  pull  down  the  west  coast  to 
meet  us  at  the  isthmus,  and  we  should  thus  have  got  a  good 
idea  of  the  place  and  people,  and  should  also  have  saved  the 
long  walk  back  over  the  mountains.  I  well  knew  that  nearly 
all  our  party  would  desert  us  if  we  attempted  such  a  trip,  but 
we  were  prepared  for  that ;  and  had  we  been  able  to  get  the 
canoes  we  should  have  gone  with  the  teachers  and  one  or  two 
more  who  would  have  accompanied  us  from  sheer  dread  of 
returning  without  our  protection.  I  was  very  loth  indeed  to 
give  up  the  journey,  as  it  was  very  desirable  to  have  a  good 
knowledge  of  that  part  of  the  island  in  the  event  of  another 
missionary  being  sent  down,  but  we  could  not  manage  it. 

When  we  returned  from  our  stroll  the  chief  (Sagina)  brought 
me  a  large  live  pig  and  a  lot  of  food  as  a  present,  for  which,  of 
course,  I  paid  with  another  present.  We  then  held  a  short  ser- 
vice with  them.  This  time  I  tried  a  Kalil  native  who  under- 
stands the  Duke  of  York  language  as  interpreter.  I  spoke  in 
that  language  and  asked  him  to  interpret ;  but  he  was  either 
ashamed  or  afraid  to  talk,  and  so  I  had  to  get  Elimotama  again. 

As  we  prepared  to  return  I  broke  a  few  strings  of  beads 
amongst  the  women  and  girls,  which  pleased  them  very  much. 
When  I  had  finished,  one  old  lady  was  very  anxious  for  me  to  go 
somewhere  to  see  or  to  buy  something  she  had,  and  failing  to 
persuade  me  to  go,  she  put  her  arms  round  my  waist  in  a  most 
loving  manner,  and  tried  to  lead  me ;  but  I  was  compelled  to 
refuse  to  go.  The  chief  accompanied  us  to  the  end  of  his 
village.  As  we  walked  along  the  beach  he  put  his  arm  round 
my  neck  and  I  tried  to  pay  him  the  same  courtesy,  but  as  he 
was  a  (fine  tall  man  over  six  feet  in  height,  I  could  only  manage 


1 66  GEORGE    BROWN 

comfortably  to  reach  his  waist ;  and  we  walked  along  thus  most 
lovingly,  surrounded  by  a  noisy  mob  all  talking  and  shouting  in 
great  excitement.  It  is  pleasant  enough  to  think  about  it  now, 
but  I  remember  that  at  the  time,  when  I  looked  back,  and  saw 
how  far  I  was  from  the  rest  of  my  party,  I  had  rather  an  un- 
comfortable feeling  when  thinking  how  easy  it  would  be  for 
that  big  fellow  to  tighten  his  grasp  of  my  throat  a  little  more, 
and  how  powerless  I  should  be  in  such  a  case,  surrounded  as 
we  were  by  so  many  of  his  people. 

When  we  reached  the  village  where  we  had  slept  the  night 
previous,  we  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  same  house.  It  was  a 
lovely  moonlit  night,  and  I  sat  for  some  hours  in  the  open 
square  of  the  village,  talking  with  the  chief  and  his  family, 
Kaplen,  our  Duke  of  York  lad,  acting  as  interpreter.  I  found 
that  I  could  often  do  more  on  such  occasions  than  I  could  do 
in  any  public  service,  as  we  could  converse  with  greater  freedom, 
and  I  knew  by  the  questions  they  asked  whether  they  under- 
stood or  not.  We  were  sure  also  that  anything  we  might  say  to 
the  chief  and  a  few  others  was  certain  to  be  repeated  over  and  over 
again  to  all.  I  never  liked  to  neglect  such  opportunities. 

That  night,  however,  did  not  pass  so  quietly  as  the  previous 
one.  About  midnight  I  was  awoke  by  old  Jack,  who  told  me 
that  the  chief  Sagina  had  come  about  the  pig  he  gave  us,  as  he 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  payment  we  had  given  him  in  return. 
I  was  very  unwilling  to  turn  out,  and  wished  to  put  off  the 
matter  until  morning,  but  soon  found  that  I  could  not  do  so,  as 
our  people  were  dreadfully  alarmed.  I  went  to  the  door  of  the 
house  and  talked  with  the  men  who  were  sitting  there,  but  I 
could  not  make  out  exactly  what  they  wanted.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, was  very  plain — that  our  crews  were  in  great  fear.  They 
told  me  that  the  village  was  full  of  armed  men,  who  had  come 
with  Sagina  to  help  him  to  enforce  his  demands.  They  said 
that  these  men  were  sitting  behind  the  houses,  where  they 
themselves  had  seen  them  ;  and  that  they  were  all  armed. 
They  begged  me  to  satisfy  Sagina's  claims  at  once  or  we  should 
all  be  killed.  I  told  them  that  I  would  do  what  was  right,  but 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    167 

pointed  out  to  them  that  if  we  showed  any  fear  and  acceded  at 
once  to  unreasonable  demands,  we  should  be  placing  ourselves 
in  still  greater  danger.  So  I  refused  to  give  Sagina  anything 
more  until  I  was  satisfied  it  was  right  to  do  so.  The  towns- 
people were  just  as  frightened  of  my  crew  as  they  were  of  them. 
The  New  Ireland  people  sat  on  one  side  of  a  blazing  fire,  and 
my  party  on  the  other,  each  watching  the  other  and  ready  to 
fight  or  run  as  they  judged  to  be  most  expedient.  I  then  tried 
to  get  Sagina  to  tell  me  what  he  wanted,  but  found  that  I  could 
not  understand  him  without  an  interpreter.  I  called  Kaplen, 
but  he  was  too  frightened  to  come  near  us.  I  called  him  several 
times,  but  he  wouldn't  come,  and  at  length  I  stepped  outside  the 
house  to  go  to  him.  As  I  did  this  rather  hastily  I  stumbled  on 
the  threshold,  and  had  occasion  to  stoop  suddenly  to  recover 
the  blanket  which  I  had  hastily  tied  round  my  waist.  This 
movement  alarmed  Sagina  and  the  other  men,  as  they  thought 
that  I  was  going  to  fight  them,  and  they  darted  away  in  an 
instant,  whilst  our  own  people  seeing  them  run  made  for  the 
bush  behind  the  house,  so  as  to  be  out  of  the  way.  There  was 
great  confusion,  and  for  awhile  we  expected  an  immediate  attack 
from  those  men  who  were  hidden  behind  the  houses,  but  as  none 
was  made  we  called  out  for  the  chief,  and  at  length  succeeded 
in  getting  him  to  come  back,  when  I  asked  him  to  go  and  call 
Sagina  back,  and  to  explain  matters  to  him ;  but  he  wouldn't 
come,  nor  would  he  speak  when  Jack,  William,  and  the  teachers 
went  to  him.  I  then  went  and  found  him  sitting,  sulky  and 
angry,  in  the  dark  at  the  back  of  the  village.  I  put  my  hand  on 
his  shoulder,  and  talked  to  him,  explaining  that  we  meant  no 
harm,  that  we  had  no  intention  of  fighting,  that  I  was  only  going 
to  get  Kaplen  to  act  as  interpreter,  etc.,  and  then  I  gave  him 
two  strings  of  beads  to  "pay  for  his  fright."  He  returned 
with  us,  and  after  a  lot  more  talk  I  gave  him  a  few  beads,  with 
which  he  was  quite  satisfied.  We  found  out  then  that  instead 
of  the  large  number  of  armed  men  which  our  "  braves  "  had  seen, 
there  was  no  one  with  Sagina  but  his  own  brother.  I  think  it 
very  likely,  however,  that  if  they  had  seen  that  we  were  easily 


1 68  GEORGE    BROWN 

frightened  by  them,  we  should  have  had  much  more  trouble  the 
next  day  than  we  had. 

Next  day,  June  I,  we  prepared  to  return  across  the  moun- 
tains, as  I  had  quite  failed  in  my  attempts  to  go  down  the  east 
side  of  the  island,  to  the  supposed  isthmus  near  Kuras.  We 
started  at  sunrise.  Our  crews  were  very  anxious  indeed  that  I 
should  pay  the  women  of  the  village  to  carry  the  yams  at  least 
as  far  as  the  inland  village,  but  I  absolutely  refused  either  to 
pay  them  or  to  allow  them  to  carry  the  yams  at  all.  I  told  our 
people  that  it  was  not  our  custom  to  allow  women  to  carry 
heavy  loads,  whilst  the  men  walked  beside  them  not  carrying 
anything  at  all.  I  then  told  them  when  they  still  wished  to 
argue  the  question,  that  if  they  chose  to  carry  the  yams  over  I 
would  pay  them,  and  they  would  also  have  their  share  of  them 
when  cooked  ;  but  if  they  did  not  carry  them  I  would  give  the 
yams  back  to  the  people,  but  that  I  would  not  in  such  a  case 
pay  them  for  their  journey,  nor  would  I  buy  any  more  food  for 
them.  After  considering  the  matter  for  eKvhile  they  decided  to 
take  them.  I  then  engaged  some  men  from  the  village  to  carry 
the  pig  we  had  received  from  Sagina,  and  we  made  a  start  soon 
after  sunrise,  and  went  along  very  well  for  about  four  miles,  when 
we  came  to  Walara.  Here  our  pig-bearers  said  that  they  were 
afraid  to  go  any  farther,  and  so  I  had  to  pay  them,  and  after 
some  persuasion  I  got  other  men  from  Walara  to  take  their 
places.  Then  as  we  left  the  village  we  found  a  few  cocoanut 
leaves  stretched  across  the  road,  indicating  that  it  was  "  tabu," 
and  on  inquiry  were  told  that  they  wished  us  to  stay  all  night. 
Of  course  it  would  have  been  very  easy  to  pull  the  leaves  down 
and  walk  on,  and  some  of  our  party  were  anxious  to  do  so,  but 
I  have  always  found  it  best  to  wait  awhile  and  talk,  and  not 
foolishly  to  disregard  any  of  the  native  customs.  We  did  so  in 
this  case,  and  found  that  a  little  present  of  beads  and  a  few  quiet 
words  were  all  that  was  required  to  get  the  impediment  removed, 
and  we  left  the  people  well  satisfied  and  friendly.  At  the  inland 
village  where  we  were  welcomed  with  the  sham  fight,  our  pig- 
bearers  again  refused  to  proceed,  and  so  we  had  to  pay  them 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    169 

and  get  another  lot ;  and  after  breaking  a  few  strings  of  beads 
amongst  the  women  we  again  passed  on. 

The  journey  back  over  the  mountains  was  a  most  exciting 
one,  and  this  was  principally  owing  to  that  wretched  pig  that 
Sagina  gave  us ;  it  was  not  a  pig,  but  a  real  white  elephant  to 
us !  Over  and  over  again  I  regretted  bringing  the  animal,  but  I 
was  afraid  of  offending  Sagina  by  refusing  his  present.  The 
history  of  our  journey  back  is  simply  the  account  of  the  trouble 
and  excitement  caused  by  that  vile  animal.  Over  and  over 
again  I  wished  it  would  fall  over  some  of  the  cliffs  and  break  its 
neck,  or  that  we  could  have  pitched  it  over  without  any  of  the 
natives  seeing  us  do  so.  I  engaged  ten  men  to  carry  it,  but 
twenty  or  thirty  more  engaged  themselves,  trusting  to  my 
simplicity  for  their  payment,  and  these  were  all  accompanied  for 
some  miles  by  a  long  train  of  women  and  children  yelling  and 
shouting  continually.  Every  mile  or  so  the  men  would  put  the 
animal  down  on  the  ground,  and  when  we  came  up  we  would  find 
the  road  blocked  up,  and  they  would  tell  us  that  they  couldn't  go 
any-farther,  that  the  bushmen  would  kill  them,  and  that  I  must 
pay  them  and  let  them  go  back.  This  I  would  not  do,  and  so  we 
had  long  talks  about  it,  which  always  ended  in  their  getting  up 
again  and  starting  off  with  loud  shouts,  leaving  us  to  follow  and 
to  recover  enough  patience  for  the  next  bother.  When  we,  came 
to  some  parts  of  the  track,  which  were  almost  perpendicular,  the 
excitement  was  most  intense,  as  the  pig-bearers  had  to  relieve 
each  other  every  few  yards  ;  in  fact,  I  wondered  how  they  got  it 
up  at  all.  Anyhow,  the  animal  survived  the  operation.  The  heat 
was  intense  on  some  of  the  open  hillsides,  and  we  could  hardly 
drag  ourselves  up  some  of  the  long,  steep  ascents ;  but  they 
managed  to  get  the  pig  up,  though  he  was  nearly  200  Ib.  weight. 
I  could  have  got  rid  of  it  when  we  reached  far  inland,  but  after 
getting  it  over  the  worst  part  of  the  journey,  I  much  wished  the 
men  to  go  all  the  way  to  Kalil,  that  they  might  make  friends 
with  our  people,  and  might  see  something  of  what  we  were 
doing  there ;  so  I  finally  made  it  a  condition  of  payment  that 
they  should  go  all  the  way.  They  tried  hard  to  get  off,  but  I 


170  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  firm  on  that  point.  So  after  every  talk  they  would  stand 
quietly  for  awhile,  and  then,  as  usual,  seize  upon  the  animal 
again,  and  run  off  madly  far  ahead  of  us.  When  we  were  in  the 
open  country,  where  the  excitement  was  greatest,  our  party  got 
very  much  scattered,  and  if  the  natives  had  meant  us  any  harm, 
they  could  easily  have  attacked  us  each  separately  ;  and  in  the 
long  high  grass  we  could  have  made  little  or  no  resistance.  I 
stepped  aside  at  one  place  and  waited  until  Jack  came  up,  when 
we  went  along  together ;  the  rest  of  our  party  were  far  ahead, 
and  out  of  all  the  trouble  about  the  pig.  Sometimes  as  we  were 
going  along  the  road  some  of  those  big  naked  fellows  would  rush 
past  us  yelling  with  excitement,  shaking  their  spears  and  shout- 
ing their  peculiar  challenge  cry,  as  if  about  to  attack  an  enemy, 
as  they  went  to  relieve  some  of  the  others  who  were  ahead. 
This  is  amusing  enough  so  long  as  it  is  simple  bravado,  but  I 
felt  at  the  time  that  men  under  such  strong  excitement,  and  with 
no  moral  feeling  to  restrain  them,  needed  but  little  provocation 
to  change  them  from  friends  to  foes.  When  we  reached  the 
tableland  we  found  another  lot  of  natives  from  the  bush  awaiting 
us  there.  We  did  not  see  them  on  our  first  journey  across,  but 
they  had  seen  our  tracks,  and  so  were  waiting  for  us.  They 
were  not  a  nice-looking  lot  at  all,  and  we  were  not  a  little  glad 
to  see  that  they  were  peaceably  disposed  towards  us.  We  sat 
some  time  with  them,  and  I  got  two  of  them  to  go  down  to 
Kalil  with  us,  promising  them  a  few  beads  if  they  would  do  so. 
I  did  this  to  ensure  the  safety  of  our  oft-mentioned  pig-bearers. 
After  a  little  dinner,  the  bulk  of  the  natives  went  on  in  advance, 
and  we  walked  and  slid  down  the  rest  of  the  way  in  peace. 

After  resting  awhile  at  Kalil  I  went  out  to  pay  the  natives, 
and  to  my  dismay  found  that  every  one  who  had  come  with  us 
expected  to  be  paid,  though  very  few  indeed  had  done  any  work 
at  all  for  us.  I  was  at  first  disposed  to  resist  altogether,  but 
afterwards  I  considered  that  for  the  sake  of  the  teachers  who 
will  have  to  visit  there  again  it  would  be  best  to  try  to  please 
all  if  possible.  So  I  selected  about  ten  of  those  we  had  actually 
seen  at  work  and  gave  them  each  a  hoop  iron,  a  few  beads,  and  a 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW   BRITAIN    171 

piece  of  tobacco,  and  the  same  to  the  chiefs  who  came  to  look 
after  them.  I  then  took  a  few  strings  of  beads  and  broke  them 
up  into  small  pieces,  giving  each  man  a  piece.  This  gave  general 
satisfaction,  and  they  all  went  away  pleased. 

I  also  was  well  satisfied  with  the  result  of  our  visit.  We  had 
succeeded  in  opening  out  a  path  for  the  teachers,  which  I 
may  say  now  has  never  been  closed  since ;  we  had  secured 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people,  and  had  established 
friendly  relations  between  them  and  the  natives  on  the  west 
coast  of  the  island.  We  were  in  some  danger,  especially 
when  my  disinclination  to  appear  before  the  assembled  crowd 
in  "  native  costume  "  created  so  much  alarm  amongst  them,  but 
that  had  been  safely  passed  through  and  explained.  Kudukudu, 
the  town  we  visited,  where  Sagina  lived,  has  been  regularly 
visited  since  by  teachers  and  missionaries  and  is  now  a  flourish- 
ing station,  and  the  residence  of  one  of  our  missionaries. 

Next  day  we  started  early  for  Kuras  or  Kurat,  as  it  is  indif- 
ferently called.  I  wished  much  to  see  the  place  again  ;  and  as 
we  were  baulked  in  our  endeavour  to  go  down  the  east  side, 
we  determined  to  go  again  down  the  west  coast  with  the  two 
boats. 

As  we  approached  Kuramut  there  was  a  cry  raised  that 
there  were  white  men  on  the  beach  amongst  the  natives  beckon- 
ing to  us.  We  kept  away  to  the  shore,  and  on  nearing  it  we 
could  plainly  see  some  five  or  six  of  them  amongst  the  crowd 
on  the  beach.  Though  we  knew  that  the  natives  often  limed 
themselves  all  over,  yet  in  this  case  we  felt  certain  that  there  was 
no  deception,  as  we  fancied  we  could  distinguish  the  shirts  and 
trousers  in  which  they  were  dressed,  and  we  quite  anticipated 
the  pleasure  of  rescuing  some  of  our  shipwrecked  fellow-country- 
men, for  such  we  took  them  to  be.  But  alas  !  for  our  anticipated 
pleasure — we  found  that  they  were  only  whitewashed  natives 
after  all.  I  didn't  exactly  know  what  their  object  was  in  doing 
this  ;  and  as  we  did  not  quite  like  their  conduct  or  their  looks, 
we  kept  on  our  way  down  the  coast,  and  arrived  at  Kuras  about 
half-past  one  o'clock.  It  was  very  evident  that  the  island  here 


172  GEORGE    BROWN 

is  very  narrow,  but  when  I  inquired  for  the  narrowest  part  I 
found  that  we  had  passed  it  some  few  miles  up  the  coast.  Our 
natives  knew  well  that  we  wished  to  land  there  ;  but  as  they 
themselves  were  afraid  to  go  there,  they  did  not  tell  us  of  the 
place  until  we  found  it  out,  when  too  late,  by  hard  questioning. 

This  village  (Kuras)  is  the  place  where  they  were  cooking 
a  man  a  few  yards  distant  from  the  place  where  I  was  sitting 
on  my  first  visit  here.  I  much  wished  to  go  about  thirty  miles 
farther  down  the  coast,  where  the  island  seemed  to  narrow 
again,  and  made  some  inquiries  about  it ;  but  the  people  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  any  place  or  people  a  few  miles  away 
from  their  own  districts,  and  we  finally  decided  not  to  go 
so  far  away  at  present.  We  started  on  our  return  to  Kalil 
about  2  a.m. 

On  my  return  from  this  journey  I  wrote  as  follows  in  my 
diary  :  "  The  conclusions  I  arrived  at  on  considering  what  we 
have  seen  of  the  place  and  people  are  much  the  same  as 
those  I  held  after  our  previous  journeys  to  New  Ireland  and 
New  Britain.  There  is  certainly  a  great  field  for  work  :  the 
population  is  large,  and  the  people  are  accessible.  With 
ordinary  precautions  there  is  no  great  danger  in  visiting  them 
True,  they  are  all  cannibals  and  continually  at  war  with  each 
other,  but  they  are  not  fierce,  and  I  believe  they  will  not  readily 
attack  a  white  man.  We  never  saw  any  reason  for  fear,  and 
slept  as  soundly  at  Kudukudu  as  at  Port  Hunter.  Our  natives, 
it  is  true,  were  in  continual  fear,  and  saw  a  foe  behind  every 
bush,  but  that  was  simply  their  own  cowardice  and  dread  of 
treachery.  They  were  especially  alarmed  whenever  the  other 
people  laughed  ;  and  all  natives  there  have  the  same  fear.  The 
language  spoken  on  the  east  coast,  for  a  wonder,  differs  but 
little  from  that  spoken  on  the  west  side  in  the  same  district. 
The  difficulties  we  shall  have  to  encounter  here  are  much  the 
same  as  we  meet  with  in  other  parts  of  the  group,  viz.,  the  lack  of 
authority  amongst  the  chiefs,  the  population  being  so  scattered 
in  small  villages,  the  unhealthiness  of  some  districts,  and  the 
different  languages  spoken." 


s  & 

2  I 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    173 

On  Monday,  July  10,  we  started  early  for  New  Ireland, 
in  company  with  Mr.  W.  Hicks  in  his  boat.  We  landed  on 
the  beach  in  pouring  rain,  and  the  sand-flies  were  a  great 
torment  to  us.  There  were  a  lot  of  old  fallen  trees  along  the 
shore,  into  which  we  put  fire-sticks,  which  the  strong  breeze 
soon  fanned  into  a  fine  fierce  fire,  by  means  of  which  we  were 
enabled  to  dry  our  clothes  when  the  rain  ceased.  We  hauled 
both  boats  up  on  the  beach,  and  afterwards  lifted  one  of  them 
right  across  to  the  other  side,  on  to  the  lake  shore.  There 
were  plenty  of  crocodiles  in  the  lake,  and  so  we  were  careful 
to  make  good  fires  just  outside  our  house  to  keep  all  intruders 
away.  Both  our  crews  then  gathered  around  the  fire,  and  for 
the  first  time  Englishmen,  Fijians,  natives  of  Duke  of  York, 
New  Britain,  and  New  Ireland,  and  men  from  the  far-away 
Hermit  Islands,  united  together  to  worship  God  on  the  New 
Ireland  coast,  and  made  the  old  woods  re-echo  for  the  first 
time  to  a  hymn  and  prayer  in  the  Duke  of  York  language  and 
in  Fijian.  We  were  indeed  a  strange  group  gathered  from  so 
many  parts  in  that  solitary  place. 

Next  day,  after  an  early  breakfast,  we  started  to  explore 
the  lake.  We  pulled  all  round  it,  but  found  no  river  flowing 
into  it.  The  shores  were  covered  with  very  thick,  dense 
vegetation,  consisting,  besides  the  usual  trees,  of  reeds  and 
palms.  The  water  was  quite  fresh,  with  a  depth  of  two  to 
five  fathoms,  though  it  may  be  deeper  in  the  middle.  It  was 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length  by  about  half  a  mile  in 
width.  When  we  pulled  to  the  south  end  we  found  it  very 
narrow  and  overgrown,  so  that  we  had  some  difficulty  in  forcing 
the  boat  through  the  overhanging  branches.  As  the  current 
was  flowing  to  that  end  we  did  not  expect  to  find  the  river 
which  supplies  the  lake  there ;  but  on  coming  out  on  the  beach 
we  found  ourselves  at  the  mouth  of  a  large  river-bed.  There 
was  no  water  running,  and  so  we  determined  to  ascend  it  for 
some  distance,  as  I  much  wished  to  enter  into  communication 
with  the  natives  in  the  interior.  The  river-bed  is  very  wide 
indeed  in  some  places.  After  ascending  it  about  a  mile  and  a 


174  GEORGE    BROWN 

half,  we  found  a  fine  stream  running,  which  the  ground  absorbs, 
and  this,  I  think,  may  be  one  source  of  supply  to  the  lake.  We 
saw  plenty  of  tracks  of  natives,  but  none  of  them  came  down 
to  see  or  to  molest  us.  After  going  up  about  three  miles  we 
came  to  one  of  their  fish-traps,  which  had  evidently  been  visited 
very  recently  ;  in  fact,  one  of  our  natives  examining  a  leaf  used 
in  stopping  the  water  said  that  it  had  been  cut  only  the  day 
before.  At  this  place  I  put  a  stick  in  the  ground  and  hung 
a  few  beads  on  it,  in  order  to  assure  the  natives  of  our  friendly 
intentions.  In  this  way  we  might  perhaps  open  communication 
with  them  another  time.  If  the  lake  was  worth  a  name  1  would 
call  it  Lake  Lydia.  It  is  at  all  events  the  only  large  body  of 
water  in  New  Ireland  that  we  know  of. 

We  had  many  other  journeys  during  this  year.  The  accounts 
which  I  have  given  will,  however,  be  sufficient,  I  think,  to  convey 
a  very  fair  idea  of  the  work  done  prior  to  the  arrival  of  the 
John  Wesley.  I  was  weary  of  waiting  for  her,  and  so  left  the 
station  for  another  visit  to  the  mainland  of  New  Britain.  The 
vessel  arrived  whilst  I  was  away,  on  August  10.  I  got  back 
about  9  p.m.  and  found  her  safe  in  port.  The  cabin  never 
before  seemed  to  me  to  be  so  nice  and  comfortable  as  I  found 
it  that  evening.  It  was  a  long  time  before  I  could  lie  down  to 
sleep,  but  when  I  did  so  it  was  with  a  thankful  heart  to  God 
for  all  His  goodness  to  us  here,  and  to  those  so  near  and  dear 
to  us  at  home. 

After  the  arrival  of  \h&  John  Wesley  I  started  for  New  Ireland, 
on  August  1 6,  at  I  a.m.,  as  I  wished  to  settle  some  matters 
there  with  regard  to  the  location  of  a  teacher  and  the  purchase 
of  land  before  I  left  the  group.  I  secured  a  good  site  on  the 
top  of  a  high  cliff,  where  I  found  afterwards  that  most  of  the 
people  lived.  It  was  a  very  heavy  day  indeed  for  me,  as  I 
had  a  good  deal  of  climbing  to  do  under  a  scorching  sun,  and 
a  long  weary  pull  back  to  Kalil  at  night.  Next  day  I  boarded 
the  John  Wesley  in  the  channel,  and  on  the  following  day  we 
reached  Matupit  and  had  a  very  different  reception  from  that 
which  we  experienced  a  little  more  than  twelve  months  ago. 


PIONEER   WORK    IN    NEW    BRITAIN    i;5 

On  August  22  we  visited  Kabakada  on  the  north-west 
coast,  and  found  an  anchorage  there  close  in  shore.  As  this 
was  the  largest  village  we  had  yet  seen,  and  in  a  very  populous 
district,  I  decided  to  station  the  native  minister  Sailasa  there. 
The  natives  were  evidently  very  impressed  with  the  size  of 
the  town.  I  saw  the  chiefs,  and  invited  them  on  board  the 
ship  in  the  morning,  and  then  selected  land  for  a  station. 

Next  day  we  left  the  ship  at  daybreak  for  Ratavul,  and 
then  proceeded  down  the  coast  to  Kabaira,  anchoring  near  to 
the  German  bark  Etienne.  After  leaving  this  place  we  had 
calms  and  light  baffling  winds,  so  that  on  Saturday  we  found 
ourselves  close  in  with  the  New  Ireland  coast.  After  breakfast 
I  took  the  boat  and  went  on  shore  to  examine  the  coast,  hoping 
to  find  an  anchorage  for  the  ship.  This  place  is  about  twenty 
miles  farther  north  than  we  had  been  in  the  steamer  or  in 
the  boat.  There  was  a  great  crowd  of  people  in  the  canoes 
and  on  the  beach,  all  the  men  being  armed.  Several  of  them 
called  out,  "  Malum,  malum,  malum  "  ("  Peace,  peace,  peace  "), 
and  they  all  professed  to  be  very  friendly  ;  but  they  were  not 
at  all  a  nice-looking  lot,  and  I  thought  it  was  hardly  prudent 
to  land,  and  so  we  kept  the  boat  afloat.  After  trading  a  little 
for  food,  and  satisfying  ourselves  that  there  was  no  anchorage, 
we  kept  on  our  way,  accompanied  for  some  miles  by  several 
canoes. 

It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  variety  of  dialects  here  when 
I  say  that  the  New  Ireland  chief  Lebera,  from  Kalil,  about  thirty 
miles  from  here,  could  not  understand  these  people  at  first, 
though  he  afterwards  understood  a  little  when  they  talked  in 
another  dialect.  The  people  here  say  that  they  killed  and  ate 
two  Duke  of  York  men,  who  had  drifted  away  from  that  island 
some  weeks  before.  We  reached  Port  Hunter  again  on 
August  28. 

1hz  John  Wesley  brought  the  Rev.  Sailasa  Naucukidi  and  six 
teachers  to  our  help,  and  before  leaving  I  had  long  conversa- 
tions with  them,  and  fully  instructed  the  native  ministers  and 
the  principal  teachers  regarding  the  work  which  was  committed 


176  GEORGE    BROWN 

to  their  care.  I  left  a  good  supply  of  trade  and  medicines, 
and  made  full  provision  for  all  their  wants  so  far  as  we  could 
anticipate  them.  The  Rev.  Eroni  Fotofili  also  came  in  the 
vessel,  having  been  very  thoughtfully  sent  down  by  the  Chairman 
of  the  Fiji  District,  Rev.  F.  Langham,  to  interview  the  teachers, 
and  to  report  on  the  work  in  case  I  should  have  left  New 
Britain  before  the  arrival  of  the  John  Wesley.  I  also  made  the 
following  appointments,  which  I  give  in  full,  for  the  purpose 
of  placing  on  record  and  honouring  the  names  of  the  men 
who  were  the  pioneers  of  the  Mission  in  New  Britain,  and  also 
to  give  some  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  work  at  that  time.  We 
had  lost  one  teacher  of  the  pioneer  band  by  death,  Timoci ;  the 
others  were  located  as  follows  : 

Aminio  Baledrokadroka  Molot 

Misieli  Loli  Urakukuru 

Setaleti  Logova  Utuan 

Livai  Volavola  Nodup 

Elimotama  Ravono  Kabanut 

Peni  Caumia  Matupit 

Peni  Luvu  Bulilalai's  village 

Mijieli  Vakaloloma  Waira. 

Pauliasi  Bunoa  Kalil. 

The  stations  of  those  who  came  the  next  year,  1 876,  were  : 

Sailasa  Naucukidi  Kabakada 

Peni  Raivalui  Kininigunan 

Josiceni  Raguru  Kabakada 

Sione  Ratunikulu  Karavia 

Juliasi  Tunaka  Topaia 

Anasa  Raikabo  Raluana 

Isoa  Wainasikeci  Nakukuru. 


SOME   INCIDENTS 


12 


SOME   INCIDENTS 

SOME  of  the  incidents  connected  with  our  first  residence  in 
the  group  have  not  been  mentioned  in  the  previous  chapter, 
as  I  deemed  it  best  only  to  give  the  narrative  of  our  work. 
Most  of  the  incidents  I  now  give  occurred  during  the  first 
year  of  our  residence,  and  may  prove  of  interest  as  showing 
the  condition  of  the  people  in  those  early  days. 

On  Sunday,  September  26,  1875,  I  baptized  the  child  of 
Pauliasi  and  Sieni  Bunoa,  who  came  with  us  from  Fiji.  This 
was  the  first  baptismal  service  ever  held  on  these  islands,  and 
it  was  witnessed  by  a  large  number  of  natives,  who  seemed  to 
take  a  great  interest  in  it. 

A  GOOD  SERMON 

On  October  3,  1875,  Ratu  Livai  preached  a  first-rate  sermon 
from  Mark  xiii.  13.  He  spoke  first  of  the  hatred  which  the 
faithful  preaching  of  the  Gospel  always  excited,  when  we  had  to 
tell  men  of  the  necessity  of  repentance  and  faith,  and  to  reprove 
the  world  of  sin.  He  told  us  of  the  trials  which  the  early 
missionaries  and  teachers  in  Fiji  had  to  endure,  instancing 
amongst  others  the  Somosomo  missionaries,  and  the  case  of 
Mr.  Moore  at  Rewa.  He  then  said  :  "  But  you  may  say, 
What  about  us  ?  We  live  in  a  heathen  land,  and  yet  have 
no  trials  ;  the  people  don't  hate  us,  we  have  plenty  to  eat, 
and  we  sleep  in  peace  night  after  night ;  where  is  there  any 
hatred  experienced  by  us  ?  Well,  I  say  to  you  Malua  (wait 
awhile).  Malua,  our  turn  will  come,  God's  Word  is  a  true 

179 


i8o  GEORGE    BROWN 

word,  and  you  will  be  hated  yet.  Wait  awhile  till  you  know 
the  language.  Wait  awhile  till  you  have  to  reprove  these 
men  for  their  sins.  Wait  awhile  till  you  begin  to  preach 
repentance.  Wait  awhile  till  you  reprove  their  pride.  Wait 
awhile  till  you  preach  the  Cross  of  Christ — and  your  turn 
will  come."  He  then  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  being  faithful 
unto  the  end.  "  There  must  be  no  hiding  the  truth  for  fear 
of  consequences,  no  shrinking  from  reproving  sin,  no  compact 
with  the  Evil  One,  and  no  fear  of  man.  The  consequences 
may  be,  nay,  will  be,  that  we  shall  be  hated  of  men  for  Christ's 
sake ;  perhaps  to  suffer  persecution,  nay,  perhaps  death  itself 
may  come  to  us."  Here  he  was  really  eloquent  as  he  exclaimed: 
"  And  what  matter  if  death  does  come,  if  we  are  only  faithful  ? 
Let  it  come  !  Let  it  come,  and  when  earth  returns  to  earth, 
ashes  to  ashes,  and  dust  to  dust,  our  spirits  will  ascend 
away  up  there " — pointing  on  high — "  to  be  with  our  Lord 
for  ever  and  ever."  It  was  really  a  good  sermon,  and  I  can 
truly  say  that  his  concluding  exhortations  to  a  faithful  discharge 
of  our  duties  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  own  mind. 

I  give  this  account  of  Ratu  Livai's  sermon  because  it  shows 
very  clearly,  in  my  opinion,  that  some,  at  all  events,  of  the  men 
I  had  with  me  as  my  colleagues  were  men  of  no  ordinary 
intelligence,  that  they  had  fully  considered  the  nature  of  the 
work  for  which  they  had  volunteered,  and  had  counted  well 
the  cost  which  might  be  involved  in  the  enterprise  to  which 
God  had  called  them.  It  is  a  most  instructive  comment  on 
the  proceedings  in  Fiji  before  the  Acting-Governor  and  the 
members  of  the  Executive  Council  in  that  Colony,  and  shows 
clearly  that  Aminio  was  quite  correct  in  the  statement  which 
he  then  made,  that  they  had  fully  considered  the  arduous  and 
dangerous  character  of  the  work  which  they,  in  God's  name, 
were  going  to  do. 

A  DANGEROUS  SNAKE 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival  I  was  informed  of  a  new  fact 
in  natural  history.  A  snake  was  brought  to  me  for  sale,  and 


SOME    INCIDENTS  181 

the  vendor  assured  me  in  a  most  confidential  manner  of  certain 
uses  to  which  it  might  be  put.  He  assured  me  that  if  a  love- 
stricken  inhabitant  of  this  island  wished  to  secure  the  fair 
object  of  his  choice,  he  had  only  to  nip  off  the  tip  of  the  tail 
of  that  very  snake  and  give  it  secretly  to  the  damsel,  hidden 
away  in  some  dainty  morsel,  and  his  love  would  be  at  once 
reciprocated  by  the  lady  in  question,  even  though  she  herself 
had  previously  been  more  favourable  to  some  other  suitor. 
Nay,  more,  he  solemnly  assured  me  that  so  potent  were  the 
powers  of  this  tip  of  a  tail,  that  even  if  given  to  a  respectable 
married  lady  she  would  at  once  transfer  her  affections,  and, 
leaving  her  lawful  husband,  would  follow  the  gentleman  who 
administered  the  dose.  So  that  it  seems  that  even  here,  as 
it  was  in  the  beginning,  the  ladies  are  still  liable  to  be  led 
away  and  deceived  by  these  animals.  However,  to  remove 
temptation  out  of  the  way,  the  animal  in  question  was  skinned, 
and  safely  placed  in  a  bottle  of  spirits  of  wine. 

A  WEIRD  SCENE 

A  day  or  two  after  the  vessel  left  us,  the  natives  from  all 
the  surrounding  villages  assembled  night  after  night,  and 
engaged  in  dancing,  so-called,  from  sunset  until  sunrise  next 
morning.  The  assembly-hall  was  a  small  cleared  spot  in  the 
midst  of  the  thick,  dense  bush,  just  behind  our  house,  and  the 
noise  they  made  rendered  it  quite  impossible  to  sleep,  except 
that  as  the  nights  went  on  I  got  so  accustomed  to  it  that  I 
only  used  to  wake  whenever  they  stopped  shouting  and  yelling 
from  sheer  exhaustion,  and  there  was  quiet  for  a  while.  Old 
Jack,  however,  never  got  accustomed  to  it,  and  I  used  to  hear 
him  expressing  very  fervent  wishes  for  the  welfare  of  the  dancers 
whenever  I  woke  in  the  night.  Some  few  of  the  people  were  al- 
ways engaged  in  beating  a  wooden  drum  which  was  placed  on 
the  top  of  a  high  platform,  and  all  the  rest  simply  walked  or  danced 
round  in  a  circle,  singing  in  unison.  Every  five  or  ten  minutes 
they  would  stop  to  take  breath,  and  then  with  a  yell  from  two  or 
three  professionals  they  would  all  start  again  with  renewed  vigour. 


i82  GEORGE    BROWN 

The  dances,  so  far  as  I  could  learn,  were  held  in  honour 
of  the  brother  of  Topulu,  known  to  the  whites  by  the  name 
of  King  Johnny,  who  died  some  two  years  before  our  arrival, 
and  to  celebrate  the  bringing  home  of  his  skull  after  its 
purification  by  decay.  Some  of  our  party  advised  me  not 
to  go  and  see  the  dance,  as  they  did  not  consider  it  safe  ;  but 
some  of  them  afterwards  accompanied  me.  It  was  a  strange 
sight  to  see  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  naked  savages,  all 
armed  with  spears  and  long-handled  tomahawks,  dancing  and 
singing  under  the  lofty  trees  which  cast  a  thick  gloom  over 
the  small  piece  of  level  ground  on  which  the  assemblage  was 
held.  A  lad  seated  on  a  high  platform  held  a  blazing  torch 
over  the  heads  of  the  dancers,  which  shed  a  lurid,  fitful  light 
over  the  scene.  At  one  time  we  were  not  able  to  distinguish 
their  dusky  forms,  as  they  danced  past  us,  and  then  again 
as  the  torch  blazed  up  and  illuminated  the  whole  square,  we 
could  easily  see  them  in  all  their  naked  ugliness.  It  was  a 
weird,  unearthly  sight,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
any  little  accident  might  easily  bring  about  a  quarrel  which 
would  result  in  bloodshed.  Soon  after  I  felt  my  fears  were 
very  nearly  being  realised,  for  a  man  happening  to  drop  his 
spear  on  the  foot  of  a  man  from  another  village,  there  was  at 
once  a  great  outcry,  which  Waruwarum,  the  chief,  quieted 
however,  by  the  novel  expedient  of  threatening  to  come 
down  to  the  mission-house  and  get  Mr.  Cockerell  (the  naturalist) 
to  discharge  his  gun  right  into  the  crowd.  We  were  all  heartily 
glad  when  the  feast  for  which  that  was  the  preparation  was 
all  over.  It  was  simply  a  farce  trying  to  sleep  when  such  a 
crowd  of  people  were  yelling  just  twenty-five  yards  distant 
from  the  house. 

A    DISPUTE  FOR  A  TEACHER 

The  first  appointment  we  made  on  New  Britain  was  at 
Nodup,  where  Ratu  Livai  was  stationed.  I  intended  also  to 
appoint  Peni  to  Matupit,  but  found  it  advisable,  in  the  first 


SOME    INCIDENTS  183 

place,  to  leave  both  together  at  Nodup.  Soon  afterwards, 
however,  I  decided  to  try  to  carry  out  the  first  appointment, 
and  went  over  to  Nodup  for  that  purpose.  I  found  both 
teachers  unwell,  and  so  had  to  defer  the  appointment  until 
the  next  day.  As  we  were  preparing  to  start  for  Matupit, 
we  were  detained  some  time  by  a  violent  quarrel  amongst  the 
natives,  which  at  one  time  seemed  to  end  seriously,  and  to 
involve  us  also.  Tokoropa,  the  chief  of  the  village  where 
the  teachers  were  living,  was  very  angry  because  Peni  was 
about  to  be  removed,  and  he  rushed  out  with  his  spear,  and 
tried  to  kill  Toporapora,  the  Matupit  chief,  who  was  with 
us.  Toporapora  seized  a  musket  and  wished  to  fight  at  once, 
but  Jack  and  others  got  hold  of  him,  and  put  him  on  board 
the  launch  again  ;  after  which  I  went  ashore  and  explained 
matters,  and  got  the  people  pacified.  Apart  from  the  anger 
which  was  excited,  it  was  very  gratifying  to  find  that  the 
people  valued  the  teacher  so  much.  We  took  Peni  and 
family  to  Matupit  the  next  day.  Captain  Milne  was  very 
anxious  to  establish  a  trader  there  also,  but  he  told  us  that 
the  Matupit  people  had  refused  to  allow  him  to  land  a  trader 
on  the  island. 

ANGER  WHICH   MUST   BE  PAID   FOR 

A  few  months  after  our  landing  I  went  to  Urakukuru, 
to  locate  Mijieli  and  wife  with  Torokud,  the  chief  there,  but 
found  on  our  arrival  that  the  house  which  was  reported  to 
me  the  day  before  as  being  finished  and  ready  for  the  teacher, 
had  been  burnt  down  since  then  by  the  chief  himself.  During 
the  erection  of  the  house  he  had  lost  an  American  axe,  and 
after  searching  for  it  for  some  time  in  vain  he  concluded  that 
some  one  had  stolen  it.  So  he  set  fire  to  the  house  he  had 
just  finished,  for  the  double  purpose  of  showing  his  anger  and 
of  making  the  thief  pay  compensation.  The  custom  is  that  the 
thief  must  pay  for  any  damage  done  by  the  chief  when  angry, 
either  to  his  own  property  or  to  that  of  any  other  person.  If 


1 84  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  house  built  for  the  teacher  had  not  been  handy,  the  chief 
would  probably  have  fired  his  own  house,  or  that  of  some  other 
innocent  person  ;  but  in  each  case  the  suspected  thief  would 
have  to  pay.  A  similar  plan  may  also  be  utilised  by  any 
injured  party  who  has  lost  anything.  He  may,  for  instance, 
have  had  a  knife  stolen,  and  the  thief  is  probably  known  or 
strongly  suspected,  but  the  injured  party  has  no  means  of  ob- 
taining redress  himself.  In  such  a  case  he  goes  to  a  chief's  land 
and  cuts  down  some  ornamental  shrub,  or  perhaps  breaks  a 
small  portion  of  the  chiefs  canoe,  and  in  this  novel  way  makes 
application  for  redress.  The  chief  is  not  angry  with  the  man 
who  has  done  the  injury,  which,  of  course,  is  generally  a  nominal 
one  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  is  rather  glad  of  the  opportunity 
given  him  of  making  money,  which  he  promptly  does  by 
enforcing  a  large  payment  from  the  thief  for  the  trivial  injury 
done  to  his  property  by  the  claimant.  I  do  not  know  how 
Torokud  received  payment  for  the  teacher's  house  which  he 
burnt,  as  it  was  found  out  that  the  axe  which  he  presumed 
was  stolen  was  only  put  away  for  safety  by  his  own  wife  ; 
but  I  am  pretty  certain  that  in  some  way  or  other  the  villagers 
had  to  make  good  the  loss. 

I  myself  made  use  of  this  custom  a  few  weeks  after  this 
event.  I  had  heard  that  one  of  our  missing  tomahawks  was 
in  the  possession  of  a  man  living  at  Molot,  the  neighbouring 
village  to  the  mission-station.  Acting  on  the  advice  and 
direction  of  Waruwarum,  I  took  three  sticks  of  tobacco  with 
me,  to  which  I  added  a  fathom  of  print.  The  Molot  chief 
received  this  present,  and  then  paid  me  twenty  pieces  of  shell 
money  for  the  tomahawk.  He  would  then  make  the  thief 
repay  him  not  only  the  twenty  pieces  of  shell  money  which 
he  had  given  me,  but  also  a  few  more  pieces  for  the  trouble 
he  had  taken,  and  as  punishment  for  the  theft.  If  I  had 
taken  more  tobacco  he  would  have  given  me  more  money, 
and  the  thief  would  consequently  have  been  more  heavily 
punished  ;  but  my  object  was  simply  to  stop  thieving,  and 
the  action  taken  was  very  beneficial  in  that  respect. 


SOME    INCIDENTS  185 

THE   FIRST  CHURCH 

On  Christmas  day,  1875,  I  made  a  feast  for  the  natives 
with  the  pigs,  taro,  and  other  food  we  had  brought  back  from 
our  long  journey  to  New  Ireland.  My  object  in  doing  this 
was  to  get  the  people  together  from  the  surrounding  districts ; 
and  by  the  help  of  the  pigs,  yams,  and  other  food,  I  succeeded 
pretty  well.  After  they  had  cleared  off  the  eatables  I  improved 
the  opportunity  by  talking  to  them  about  our  mission,  and 
asked  them  to  build  a  church  in  which  we  might  gather 
together  for  services.  They  gladly  consented  to  do  this  ;  but 
when  I  told  them  that  I  should  expect  them  to  do  the  work 
without  any  payment,  they  appeared  to  regard  it  as  a  pleasant 
joke  on  my  part,  and  it  took  me  a  long  time  to  convince  them 
that  I  was  quite  serious  in  the  matter.  But  I  was  determined 
that  I  would  commence  right.  I  told  them  that  I  had  paid 
them  for  everything  they  had  done  for  us — for  our  house,  for 
the  teacher's  house,  for  food,  and  for  everything  we  had 
received  from  them,  but  that  with  regard  to  the  church  it 
was  not  my  house  but  theirs,  and  that  they  must  not  expect 
payment  for  it.  At  last  they  promised  to  come  ;  but  day 
after  day  passed  without  any  of  them  putting  in  an  appearance. 
I  followed  them  up,  however,  visited  them  in  their  houses, 
and  spoke  to  every  man  I  met  on  the  subject,  until  at  last 
a  few  of  them  came  and  professed  their  willingness  to  start. 
It  would  have  been  no  use  my  sending  them  away  by 
themselves,  so  I  started  with  them  for  the  opposite  side  of 
the  bay  to  cut  posts  and  other  timber.  I  was  afraid  of 
overworking  them  at  first,  and  so  discouraging  them  ;  so  we 
had  to  be  content  with  the  first  sticks  which  came  in  our 
way.  We  floated  them  across  the  harbour,  and  hauled  them 
up  to  the  site  which  I  had  selected,  and  so  the  work  was 
begun,  and  on  Friday,  January  28,  1876,  five  and  a  half  months 
after  our  landing,  I  was  able  to  make  the  following  entry 
in  my  diary  : 

"  Friday,  January  28.     A  great  day  here,  and  one  which  I 


186  GEORGE    BROWN 

trust   will   long  be   remembered   as   that   on    which    the    first 
Christian   church   on    these    Islands    was    opened   for    Divine 
worship.     Right  glad  was  I  to  have  the  little  building  so  far 
finished  as  to  be  able  to  open  it.     I   had  no  little  trouble  in 
getting  it  built,  as  I  wished   to  begin  well  in  this  matter  of 
church  building.     By  the  expenditure  of  some  beads  and  a  few 
trifling  articles,    I   could   easily   have   got   the   church   erected 
without  any  trouble  at  all  to  myself;  but  I  knew  well  that  if  we 
began  to  pay  for  churches,  it  would  be  very  difficult  indeed  in 
future  years  to  get  the  natives  to  build  them  without  payment, 
as   they,  like  some  civilised  people,  are  very  fond   of  quoting 
precedents  when   it   suits   them    to   do   so.     I    looked  forward 
to   the   time  when  we   shall   have  to   build,  I  hope,  hundreds 
of  churches,  which   will   involve   a   great   amount   of  labour ; 
and  though  it  may  be  very  easy  to  pay  a  few  beads  for  the 
churches  we  require  now,  it  would  involve  a  very  considerable 
expense  to  build  such  as  we  shall  wish  to  have  in  years  to 
come.     And  then  I  was  anxious  that  the  natives  should  know 
that  the  church  was  theirs,  and  not  mine,  and  that  they  must  be 
prepared  to  do  something  themselves  to  help  in  the  work  ;  and 
so  by  urging  them  to  it  repeatedly,  going  round  to  their  houses 
and  talking  with  them,  and  by  lending  axes  and  going  into  the 
bush  with  them  to  get  the  logs,  we  at  last  succeeded  in  getting 
it  finished  without  making  any  formal  payment.     This  was  the 
more  remarkable,  as  they  never  do  any  work  for  each  other 
without  being  well  paid  for  it,  and  they  have  never  before,  so 
far  as  we  know,  united  for  any  public  work.     We  had  a  short 
service,  and  after  the  service  I  took  a  photograph  of  the  building, 
and  then  we  adjourned  to  the  station,  where  they  had  a  small 
feast  in  honour  of  the  event.     The  chiefs  and  I  had  made  a 
bargain  that  I  was  to  find  a  pig  for  the  feast,  and  that  they 
would  supply  the  vegetables  ;  but  when  I  found  that  their  con- 
tributions consisted  of  about  ten  taro  each,  I  had  to  make  a  raid 
upon  our  own  stock  of  yams  and  taro  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
They  were  all  pleased,  and   at   once   made  the  church  '  tabu  ' 
except  when  opened  for  school  or  for  Divine  service." 


SOME    INCIDENTS  187 

The  consequences  of  this  policy  were  very  soon  apparent, 
for  when  the  people  who  had  come  over  from  the  outlying 
stations  to  the  opening  of  the  church  at  the  head  station 
returned  to  their  homes,  they  went  to  the  teachers  and  inquired  : 
"  Why  cannot  we  have  a  church  as  well  as  the  people  of  Duke 
of  York  ? "  The  teacher  was  of  course  only  too  pleased  to  tell 
them  how  glad  he  would  be  if  they  built  one ;  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  opening  a  new  church  at  Nodup  on  February  18, 
just  three  weeks  after  the  opening  of  the  first  church  at  Port 
Hunter.  In  a  few  weeks  this  example  was  followed  by  the 
others,  so  that  we  were  soon  able  to  report  seven  churches  ;  and, 
as  there  is  a  spirit  of  emulation  amongst  the  natives  as  well  as 
amongst  ourselves,  each  village  tried  to  build  a  better  one  than 
another  that  had  been  previously  built  They  never  dream 
now  of  asking  for  any  payment  for  doing  so. 

FIRST  WATCH-NIGHT  SERVICE 

It  is  very  interesting  to  me  to  read,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly 
thirty  years,  the  following  extract : 

"December  31,  1875.  We  held  our  Watch-night  service. 
Several  of  the  natives  came,  and  we  had  a  very  nice  service.  I 
could  not  help  wondering  as  I  sat  at  this,  the  first  Watch-night 
service  in  these  Islands,  what  the  coming  year  will  bring  forth, 
what  the  future  of  our  Mission  will  be — how  many  years  will 
roll  away  before  these  people  will  manifest  in  their  lives  and 
actions  that  they  have  indeed  received  the  Gospel  in  all  its 
wondrous  power.  Thoughts  of  home  and  of  the  loved  ones 
there  came  crowding  into  my  mind,  and  there  was,  of  course,  the 
natural  longing  to  see  the  old  familiar  faces  again.  I  had, 
however,  the  assurance  that  I  was  where  God  wished  me  to  be, 
and  was  doing  the  work  which  He  had  given  me  to  do,  and  so 
I  could  trust  Him  for  all  the  future." 

And  now  when  I  consider  the  present  state  of  that  great 
Mission,  and  the  wonderful  success  with  which  God  has  blessed 
the  labours  of  our  missionaries  in  that  group,  my  heart  is  filled 


i88  GEORGE    BROWN 

with  gratitude  and  love  to  Him  for  the  fulfilment  of  His  promise, 
"  So  shall  My  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  My  mouth :  it 
shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please,  and  I  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I 
sent  it" 

A  CRUEL  ACTION   PREVENTED 

During  our  first  year's  residence  a  matter  occurred  which  at 
one  time  threatened  to  have  serious  consequences.  Our  next- 
door  neighbour  was  the  chief  Waruwarum,  a  man  whose  name 
often  occurs  in  this  narrative.  He  was  a  very  much  married 
man,  having  no  fewer  than  seven  wives ;  and  it  is  needless  to  say 
that  with  such  a  family  he  often  experienced  many  difficulties. 
Often  and  often  I  have  been  aroused  in  the  night  by  the 
screams  of  a  woman,  and  knew  that  Waruwarum's  sleep  had 
been  again  disturbed  by  the  necessity  under  which  he  felt  him- 
self placed  of  administering  corporal  punishment  in  some  form 
to  one  of  these  wives.  He  had,  however,  one  wife  called 
Nekibil,  who  appeared  to  be  the  favourite,  a  girl,  I  should  think, 
about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age.  Like  all  other 
savages,  he  was  a  very  jealous  man,  and  one  day  he  saw  her 
talking  quite  innocently,  I  believe,  to  a  young  man.  He  crept 
up  behind  them,  and  threw  his  spear,  intending  to  kill  the 
young  man,  but  the  weapon  struck  a  sapling  and  glanced  off 
into  the  bush.  The  lad,  of  course,  fled  for  his  life  and  got  away, 
but  Waruwarum  vented  his  brutal  rage  on  the  unfortunate  girl. 
He  speared  her,  struck  her  a  fearful  blow  on  the  leg  with  his 
tomahawk,  and  then  beat  her  about  the  body  with  the  long 
handle  of  the  tomahawk,  until  he  left  her,  as  he  thought,  dead 
in  the  bush. 

The  women  all  came  screaming  into  my  house,  and  told  me 
that  Waruwarum  had  killed  Nekibil.  I  ran  out  with  the  young 
Fijian  teacher,  Beni  Luvu,  and  found  the  poor,  wretched  woman 
lying  naked  in  the  bush, and  quite  unconscious.  Finding,  however, 
that  she  was  still  living,  I  hoisted  her  up  on  Beni's  back,  where 


SOME    INCIDENTS  189 

she  hung  quite  limp  and  apparently  lifeless.     We  carried  her  up 
through  the  village,  and  on  the  way  her  wretch  of  a  husband 
came  behind  and  tried  to  spear  her  again  as  she  hung  on  the 
teacher's  back.     I  prevented  him  from  doing  this,  and  we  got 
the  woman  safely  into  our  hut.     I  gave  her  some  stimulant,  and 
proceeded  to  dress  her  wounds,  and  in  a  short  time  she  revived 
a   little.     In   the    meantime   there    was   great    excitement    in 
Waruwarum's  village,  as  he  was  sending  spears  wrapped  round 
with  a  little  diwara  (native  money)  to  most  of  the  families  round 
about.     This  was  his  message  asking  them  to  come  and  fight 
for  him,  and  assuring  them  of  payment  for  doing  so.     In  a 
short  time  a  large  number  came,  painted  and  armed,  and  with 
great  shouts  they  set  off  to  fight  the  family  of  the  young  man. 
I  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  this,  as  I  was  fully  occupied  in 
attending  to  the  poor  wounded  wife.    In  an  hour  or  two,  however, 
the  warriors  all  returned,  having   done  nothing,  as  the   boy's 
family  had  all  fled. 

Just  at  this  point,  however,  Waruwarum's  trouble  began. 
He  had  promised  payment  to  the  men  who  came  to  fight  for 
him,  but  he  was  a  very  avaricious  man  and  very  unwilling  to 
part  with  any  of  his  hoarded  diwara.  He  had,  however,  heard 
that  Nekibil  was  still  living,  and  this  appeared  to  him  to  be  an 
easy  way  out  of  his  difficulty,  and  he  sent  his  brother  Naragua 
and  his  nephew,  a  boy  called  Kaplen,  who  was  in  my  service, 
to  my  house,  with  instructions  that  they  were  to  take  Nekibil 
and  bring  her  to  his  village,  where  he  intended  to  kill  her,  and 
give  her  body  to  the  men  who  had  come  to  fight  for  him  as 
payment  for  their  services.  On  receiving  the  message,  I  told 
the  men  to  wait  until  I  had  seen  Waruwarum.  I  went  to  him 
and  pleaded  most  earnestly  with  him  that  he  would  not  do  such 
a  cruel  act.  I  offered  also  to  give  him  a  great  deal  of  property 
— sufficient  indeed  for  him  to  buy  a  couple  or  more  wives  with, 
if  he  would  consent  to  spare  the  woman's  life.  He  had  generally 
been  pretty  civil  to  me,  but  on  this  occasion  he  was  simply  mad 
with  baffled  rage.  His  eyes  were  bloodshot,  and  his  voice 
hoarse  with  yelling  and  shouting.  He  never  was  a  good- 


i9o  GEORGE    BROWN 

looking  man,  as  will  be  seen  from  his  photograph,  but  on  this 
occasion  he  looked  very  repulsive.  On  his  refusal  I  still 
pleaded  with  him,  and  told  him  that  if  he  refused  my  request 
I  could  never  regard  him  again  as  a  friend,  and  I  also  increased 
the  offers  I  had  made  for  the  woman's  ransom.  I  think  he 
must  have  regarded  this  as  a  sign  of  weakness,  for  he  soon 
began  to  use  very  improper  language,  and  asserted  over  and  over 
again  that  he  would  cook  the  woman,  and  that  he  would  perform 
the  same  operation  on  us  also  if  I  tried  to  prevent  him.  When 
he  said  this,  I  looked  him  in  the  face  and  told  him  with  some 
considerable  force  that  he  should  not  have  the  woman  now 
under  any  conditions.  He  seemed  quite  amazed  at  my  pre- 
sumption, and  repeated  again  that  he  would  have  her  and 
us  also. 

I  went  back  to  the  house  and  held  a  consultation  as  to  what 
we  should  do.  There  were  only  five  of  us  there,  namely,  old 
Jack,  the  three  teachers,  and  myself.  I  told  them  the  facts, 
and  said  that  I  was  quite  certain,  from  my  knowledge  of  natives, 
that,  having  gone  so  far,  it  would  be  very  dangerous  indeed 
if  we  gave  in  to  them  at  that  time.  We  all  agreed  on  this,  and 
set  to  work  at  once  to  barricade  the  house.  We  nailed  up  our 
back  door  and  window,  and  piled  boxes  against  them  also. 
Naragua  and  Kaplen  were,  of  course,  watching  all  the  time. 
They  were  both  of  them  very  friendly  indeed  to  us,  and  they 
pleaded  very  earnestly  with  us  that  we  should  give  up  the 
woman,  and  so  avert  any  evil  consequences.  I  told  Naragua 
that  we  could  not  possibly  do  that.  I  said  :  "  Different  people 
have  different  customs.  It  is  your  custom  to  kill  and  eat 
people ;  but  it  is  'not  ours."  And  then  I  said :  "  There  is 
another  custom  which  we  feel  bound  to  observe.  If  Nekibil 
had  been  in  one  of  your  houses  I  would  have  gone  to 
Waruwarum  and  tried  to  purchase  her  life,  but  if  he  had 
refused,  I  could  not  have  done  anything  else ;  but  this  case  is 
different.  We  are  Englishmen,  and  Nekibil  is  in  my  house  ; 
and  in  our  country  it  would  be  thought  a  very  great  disgrace 
if  we  let  a  woman  be  taken  out  of  our  house  to  be  killed." 


SOME    INCIDENTS  191 

They  still,  however,  pleaded  with  me,  and  Naragua  said  : 
"What  will  you  do?  Will  you  fight?  If  that  is  your  idea, 
just  look  at  those  men  outside.  How  could  you  fight  a  crowd 
like  that  ?  Then  Waruwarum  says  that  he  will  set  fire  to  the 
thatch,  and  you  will  have  to  come  out,  and  what  can  you  do 
against  such  a  crowd  ?  "  I  confess  I  was  a  little  scared  when 
he  talked  about  firing  the  house,  as  we  well  knew  that  that 
was  our  weak  point.  The  thick  scrub  came  quite  close  to  the 
house,  and  a  man  could  easily  hide  there,  and  throw  a  stick 
on  the  thatch  without  our  seeing  him. 

I  may  say  that  at  this  time  we  did  not  know  what  we  knew 
afterwards,  that  these  men  were  great  cowards,  and  that 
Waruwarum  himself  was  the  biggest  coward  of  the  whole  lot. 
I  felt,  however,  that,  having  gone  so  far,  we  must  see  the  matter 
through,  and  so  I  talked  very  decidedly  to  the  two  messengers. 
I  absolutely  refused  to  give  the  woman  up,  and  sent  a  message 
to  Waruwarum  to  say  that  I  was  willing  to  pay  for  the  woman's 
life,  but  that  I  would  not  now  give  what  I  had  offered  him 
in  the  first  instance  ;  that  I  was  sending  a  small  American  axe 
by  his  brother  ;  that  if  he  chose  to  accept  that,  it  was  well ; 
that  if  not,  his  brother  could  keep  it  himself.  All  this,  I  may 
say,  was  simply  bounce,  because  at  that  time  we  had  neither 
rifle  nor  bullet  in  the  house.  Our  sole  armament  consisted  of 
a  little  fowling-piece  that  I  used  to  collect  birds,  and  an  old 
Tower  musket  which  was  never  fired,  and  which  I  imagine 
would  have  been  quite  as  dangerous  to  the  man  who  fired  it, 
or  to  those  about  him,  as  it  was  to  the  enemy ;  and  we  had 
a  small  revolver. 

As  soon  as  the  messengers  left  we  closed  the  door,  and  put 
in  the  bolt  which  we  had  provided.  I  then  kept  the  only 
shutter  which  was  still  unfastened  open  for  two  or  three  inches, 
so  that  we  could  look  through.  There  was  nothing  separating 
us  from  the  crowd  of  "  braves "  but  a  bamboo  fence,  which 
they  could  kick  down  at  any  time.  We  both  saw  and  heard 
Waruwarum  talking  and  shouting,  and  pointing  to  us.  He 
was  evidently  urging  them  to  attack  us,  but  none  of  them 


192  GEORGE    BROWN 

seemed  to  care  to  make  a  commencement,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  both  Naragua  and  Kaplen,  who  were  both  friendly  to  us, 
had  exaggerated  their  account  of  the  preparations  we  had  made 
and  of  the  damage  we  were  likely  to  do.  After  some  time 
spent  in  this  way  I  saw  Waruvvarum  suddenly  take  the 
American  axe  which  I  had  sent  by  his  brother,  and  hold  it 
up  over  his  head  in  my  sight.  This  was  a  sign  that  he  had 
accepted  the  terms  which  I  had  offered  him,  and  I  need  not  say 
that  we  were  all  very  thankful  that  the  incident  had  so  far 
ended.  I  went  out  at  once  and  spoke  to  him  as  kindly  as  I 
could,  and  told  him  how  glad  I  was  that  we  were  still  to 
continue  friends.  He  came  into  the  house  and  gave  me  a 
solemn  promise  that  he  would  not  again  injure  his  poor  wife ; 
and  I  told  him  that  on  that  condition  she  could  go  back  to 
him  as  soon  as  she  was  fit  to  be  moved.  This  she  did  the  same 
evening.  She  gradually  got  well,  and  was  again  his  favourite 
wife ;  and  I  noticed  some  time  after  this,  in  one  of  Rev.  I. 
Rooney's  letters,  that  when  she  died  some  years  afterwards 
Waruwarum  manifested  great  sorrow  for  her  loss. 

I  have  often  wondered  since  whether  we  were  wise  in  the 
action  which  we  took,  and  I  have  always  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  did  right.  We  knew  that  the  woman  would  certainly 
be  killed  the  moment  her  head  was  outside  our  door,  and  I 
cannot  imagine  any  man  looking  at  that  poor  bleeding  woman 
lying  on  the  floor  of  our  house  listening,  as  she  did,  to  the 
demand  made  for  her  to  be  taken  out  and  killed  for  a  cannibal 
feast,  and  allowing  such  a  foul  act  to  take  place.  Had  we  been 
killed,  we  should  no  doubt  have  been  blamed  for  our  folly,  but 
fortunately  the  affair  ended  happily,  and  so  we  were  not  blamed. 
But  the  question  still  remains,  apart  from  success  or  failure : 
Was  it  right  to  interfere  and  to  take  the  risk  ?  And  I  certainly 
believe  that  it  was.  I  know  of  no  sermon  which  we  preached 
during  that  year  which  had  such  an  effect  upon  the  minds  of 
the  people.  They  realised  as  they  had  never  done  before 
that  we  were  there  not  for  our  own  good  or  profit,  but  for 
theirs,  and  that  we  were  willing  to  take  some  risks  on  their 


SOME    INCIDENTS  193 

behalf.  The  women  especially  were  very  much  impressed,  and 
we  heard  of  them  saying :  "  Why  should  the  missionary  take 
so  much  trouble  over  Nekibil  ?  She  is  no  relative  of  his,  and 
yet  he  saved  her  life.  The  lotu  must  be  good."  They  soon 
manifested  a  greater  interest  in  our  work  than  they  had  ever 
done  before. 

A  SUGGESTIVE  ACTION 

The  people  of  Outam  had  been  at  enmity  with  the  Port 
Hunter  natives  for  many  years,  and  this  was  a  serious  hindrance 
to  our  work.  I  determined  to  visit  them,  and  see  if  it  were 
possible  to  put  an  end  to  this  long  feud.  I  think  it  best  to 
give  the  incidents  of  the  day  by  an  extract  from  my  diary, 
written  immediately  on  our  return  : 

"  Friday,  April  21. — Went  to  Outam  to-day.  We  landed  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff,  left  the  canoe  there,  and  Peni  and  I  then 
clambered  up  by  a  path  which  was  almost  perpendicular, 
holding  on  by  the  coral  and  roots  of  trees  as  we  best  could. 
The  village  is  situate  on  the  top  of  a  cliff  about  150  feet 
high.  Though  this  village  is  only  about  one  and  a  half  or  two 
miles  from  Port  Hunter,  we  could  not  possibly  induce  any 
of  the  natives  of  this  place  to  go  with  us,  as  they  are  dreadfully 
afraid  of  the  people,  and  have  been  at  feud  with  them  for 
many  years.  Some  months  ago  they  would  have  tried  all 
they  could  to  dissuade  me  from  going,  or  would  have  tried  to 
frighten  me  against  going  ;  but  they  have  given  up  that  employ- 
ment of  late,  finding  it  utterly  useless. 

"  We  found  the  people  very  friendly,  and  glad  that  we  had 
visited  them.  I  bought  two  pigs  from  them,  and  as  I  had  no 
interpreter  we  had  to  converse  as  best  we  could  in  their  own 
language.  Peni  left  me  to  look  after  some  wild  pigeons,  and 
I  did  what  I  could  to  tell  them  about  the  lotu,  and  to  induce 
them  to  make  up  their  old  feud  with  the  Port  Hunter  natives. 
Whilst  I  was  sitting  there  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  those 
wild-looking  fellows,  I  could  not  help  reflecting  that  I  was 
sitting  there  without  arms  of  any  kind,  or  any  human  protection 

13 


194  GEORGE    BROWN 

whatever,  amongst  a  crowd  of  men  who  were  most  undoubted 
cannibals,  and  who  certainly  bore  a  very  bad  name  amongst 
their  neighbours.  Some,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  ask  :  '  Well,  was 
it  wise  after  all  ?  Was  it  not  incurring  a  needless  risk  ?  Was 
it  not  acting  rashly  ? '  etc.  Well,  I  asked  and  answered  that 
question  myself,  both  before  going  and  when  there,  and  I 
firmly  believe  that  there  was  no  great  risk  or  danger.  The 
people  were  cannibals,  but  they  were  nevertheless  quite  as 
good-looking  and  quite  as  good-natured  as  plenty  of  people 
whose  taste  in  that  respect  is  quite  dissimilar.  They  were  not 
clothed,  but  they  were  as  well-behaved  as  some  folks  I  have 
met  whose  clothes  are  much  better  than  their  conduct ;  and 
they  felt,  I  am  sure,  that  we  trusted  them,  and  trust  begets 
trust.  They  felt  Peni  over  and  over,  pinched  his  arms  and 
legs  with  their  fingers,  and  admired  his  fine,  plump,  strong,  body  ; 
but  I  think  it  was  a  sincere  admiration  of  his  figure  unmixed 
with  a  single  longing  desire  to  taste  him.  As  for  me,  thanks 
to  the  prominence  of  my  bones,  no  native  has  ever  considered 
me  fit  even  to  be  felt.  After  concluding  our  talk  we  started 
for  the  shore,  the  chief  and  Peni  walking  hand  in  hand  and 
talking  to  each  other  as  old  acquaintances.  Peni's  joyous, 
good-humoured  face  and  hearty  laugh  soon  made  him  a  favourite 
with  them."  I  little  thought  at  the  time  he  was  laughing  at 
the  actions  of  these  people  that  he  would  fall  a  couple  of 
years  afterwards  under  the  tomahawks  of  the  cannibals  of  New 
Britain ! 

On  the  following  Sunday  Aminio  went  to  preach  to  them, 
and  at  our  evening  meeting  he  had  good  news  to  tell  of  his 
visit.  He  said  the  people  were  very  pleased,  begged  him  to 
go  back  in  the  evening,  and  asked  if  they  might  not  build 
a  small  church  for  service.  As  a  strange  contrast  to  this  I 
had  to  write  on  the  very  next  day,  April  24,  as  follows  : 

"  Outam,  Watera,  and  Torogud's  people  fought  to-day,  or 
rather  they  went  out  and  trapped  two  poor  wretches  belonging 
to  Piritop,  killing  one  and  mortally  wounding  the  other.  They 
were  bringing  away  the  one  killed  in  order  to  cook  him,  but  were 


SOME    INCIDENTS  195 

attacked  by  the  Piritop  people,  and  so  had  to  abandon  their 
prey,  and  bring  only  the  head.  These  Outam  people  are  those 
with  whom  I  was  sitting  on  Friday  last,  and  to  whom  Aminio 
preached  yesterday  for  the  first  time.  Of  course  this  murder 
was  planned  before  that  time,  and  they  had  to  fulfil  the 
agreement  which  they  had  made.  These  are  the  people  who, 
by  God's  grace  and  help,  are  to  be  raised  from  this  savage 
state,  and  made  into  Christian  men  and  women.  We  can  only 
stay  ourselves  upon  the  declaration  of  God's  Word  that, '  With 
men  it  is  impossible,  but  with  God  all  things  are  possible.1 
The  declarations  of  God's  Word,  '  Ye  must  be  born  again,' 
'  If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature/  and  many 
similar  passages  come  to  us  with  a  new  force  in  these  islands." 
I  have  given  in  another  place  the  story  of  the  peace-making 
between  Outam  and  the  Port  Hunter  people. 

MESSENGERS  OF   PEACE 

On  Sunday,  April  23,  Peni  went  to  preach  at  Urakukuru, 
and  after  service  there  he  and  Misieli  (Samoan)  went  to 
Nakukuru,  where  the  dukduk  feast  was  being  held,  to  preach 
to  the  people.  His  account  of  their  day's  work  was  very 
interesting.  They  had  a  good  congregation  at  Urakukuru, 
but  when  they  asked  for  some  one  to  go  with  them  to  Nakukuru 
they  were  told  that  no  one  could  go,  as  they  were  then 
expecting  to  fight,  those  two  districts  having  been  at  feud 
for  a  long  time.  The  two  teachers  then  went  alone,  but  when 
they  had  gone  a  short  distance  one  of  the  Urakukuru  chiefs 
who  had  been  in  their  congregation  in  the  morning  overtook 
them.  He  gave  Peni  a  branch  of  a  dracaena  plant,  and  said : 
"Take  this  to  the  Nakukuru  chiefs,  and  tell  them  it  is  our 
peace-offering ;  it  is  to  make  the  road  good  between  our 
villages.  Tell  them  our  mind  is  this  ;  let  us  embrace  the  lotu 
and  live  in  peace." 

The  teachers  then  went  on  to  Nakukuru,  told  the  chiefs 
there  that  they  had  come  to  hold  service  if  they  would  allow 


196  GEORGE    BROWN 

it,  and  then  gave  them  the  branch  of  dracaena  and  the  message 
from  Torogud  the  Urakukuru  chief.  They  were  told  after 
the  dukduk  display  was  over  they  could  preach,  and  Peni 
did  so  to  a  very  large  company,  gathered  together  from  all 
parts  of  the  group,  with  many  from  New  Britain  also.  When 
they  were  preparing  to  return  home  the  Nakukuru  chief  took 
the  dracaena  stem  they  had  brought,  and  planted  it  in  his 
ground,  and  said :  "  Tell  Torogud  that  I  have  planted  his 
offering,  and  that  you  have  seen  me  do  it ;  and  take  him  this," 
giving  them  a  similar  piece  of  dracaena  from  his  own  land. 
"  Tell  him  that  our  mind  is  also  to  lotu,  and  to  live  in  peace." 
They  brought  this  plant  and  message  to  Torogud,  and  he  at 
once  planted  the  dracaena  from  Nakukuru  in  his  land.  So  we 
hoped  that  the  preliminaries  were  settled,  and  that  a  complete 
reconciliation  between  these  long-divided  districts  would  soon  be 
effected.  The  natives  seemed  thoroughly  to  understand  by  this 
time  that  one  great  object  of  the  lotu  was  to  bring  peace  and 
goodwill  towards  men. 

We  were  accustomed  on  the  Sunday  evening  to  meet  at 
the  mission  house  to  talk  over  the  work  of  the  day,  and  I 
need  not  say  that  we  were  very  glad  indeed  to  hear  the 
account  given  by  the  teachers,  who  all  had  good  news  to  tell. 
I  wrote  in  my  diary  that  night,  with  a  thankful  heart,  as 
follows : 

"  And  so  the  good  work  goes  on,  not  without  discourage- 
ment and  difficulties,  as  at  Waira,  and  here  also,  but  still 
with  much  to  encourage  and  cheer  us,  and  we  in  our  little 
meeting  felt  constrained  to  praise  God  with  grateful  hearts 
on  this  quiet  Sunday  evening  for  His  goodness  to  us,  and 
earnestly  to  beseech  Him  to  bless  also  the  labours  of  our 
brethren  far  away  from  us  on  New  Ireland  and  New  Britain. 
I  have  been  homesick  to-day,  but  I  feel  glad  that  I  am 
privileged  to  take  part  in  this  great  work.  I  have  felt  much 
this  evening  that  our  success  here  is  far  more  than  commensurate 
with  our  own  efforts.  I  feel  so  conscious  of  doing  so  little, 
and  yet  having  such  good  results,  and  I  feel  certain  that  our 


SOME    INCIDENTS  197 

success  is  simply  God's  answer  to  the  prayers  of  His  people 
who  plead  with  Him  for  us." 


A  WILD  NIGHT   AT  SEA 

On  my  return  from  one  of  my  visits  to  New  Britain  we  had 
a  very  trying  time  for  some  hours.  After  leaving  the  mainland 
I  told  old  Jack,  who  was  steering,  that  he  had  better  keep 
away  a  couple  of  points,  as  I  had  noticed  a  long  reef  running 
out  from  the  island  towards  which  we  were  heading.  Old 
Jack  was  a  good  sailor  and  a  good  old  man  generally,  but 
on  occasions  he  could  be  as  pig-headed  as  any  man  I  ever 
knew  ;  and  this  was  one  of  the  occasions  in  which  this  trait 
in  Jack's  character  came  out.  He  asserted  that  there  was  no 
reef  there  ;  that  he  had  taken  particular  bearings  from  different 
points,  and  that  he  was  quite  certain  I  was  entirely  wrong. 
I  had  of  course  to  give  in  and  allow  him  to  take  his  own  way, 
but  I  took  the  precaution  of  telling  two  of  the  teachers  to  keep 
a  sharp  lookout  for  any  broken  water.  It  was,  however,  getting 
towards  dark,  and  the  light  was  too  dim  to  see  very  far  ahead. 
We  were  in  the  whale-boat,  and  I  was  paddling  with  the  crew. 
I  heard  a  shout  from  the  natives  just  at  the  same  time  that 
my  paddle  struck  the  reef  and  caused  a  blaze  of  phosphorescent 
light  all  round.  We  were  then  hard-and-fast  on  the  reef,  and 
1  very  politely  asked  Jack  how  his  bearings  agreed  with  the 
present  position.  It  was  very  annoying  indeed,  as  we  had  to 
make  a  great  circuit  round  the  reef  before  we  could  get  again 
on  our  proper  course ;  and  as  subsequent  events  proved,  this 
very  nearly  led  to  a  serious  accident. 

We  were  just,  as  we  calculated,  between  the  harbours  of 
Makada  and  Meoko,  but  owing  to  the  darkness  we  could  not 
determine  our  position.  We  saw,  however,  plain  signs  that 
one  of  the  strong  north-west  squalls  was  near  at  hand.  We  took 
in  the  sails,  lowered  the  mast,  and  prepared  ourselves  as  well 
as  we  could  for  the  gale.  In  a  few  moments  it  struck  us  with 
almost  hurricane  force,  and  the  rain  came  down  in  such  torrents 


198  GEORGE    BROWN 

that  one  man  was  kept  continually  bailing  out  with  a  bucket. 
The  lightning  was  very  vivid.  We  could  do  nothing  else  but 
keep  the  boat  dead  before  the  wind  and  sea,  and  let  her  go. 
The  natives  were  paralysed  with  fear,  and  lay  down  in  the 
boat,  hiding  their  faces.  I  urged  them  to  take  the  paddles 
and  help,  but  it  was  quite  useless.  One  big  fellow  in  front 
of  me  we  had  named  "  Ugly  Tom."  He  was  crying  aloud  from 
sheer  terror.  I  begged  him  to  take  his  paddle,  but  in  vain, 
until  at  last  in  despair  I  had  to  lay  it  over  his  back  before 
he  would  even  sit  up.  We  drove  on  in  as  heavy  a  squall  as 
I  have  ever  witnessed,  with  the  exception  of  a  hurricane  in 
which  the  John  Wesley  was  dismasted.  We  were  afraid  of 
being  driven  too  far  towards  the  broken  water  off  Makada 
harbour,  and  on  the  other  hand  of  being  driven  on  the  rocks 
near  Meoko  ;  but  we  had  no  means  of  determining  our  position, 
as  the  wind  had  changed  from  one  point  to  another.  We 
knew  that  we  were  in  broken  water,  because  a  great  wave  broke 
behind  us,  evidently  on  a  sunken  patch  of  coral  which  we  had 
just  passed  over.  Had  that  wave  broken  a  minute  earlier  we 
should  certainly  have  been  swamped.  The  two  Fijians,  who 
had  splendid  eyesight,  were  on  the  lookout  for'ard,  but  could 
see  no  land.  By-and-by,  however,  Beni  called  out  to  me  to 
say  that  he  thought  we  were  passing  the  entrance  to  Meoko. 
There  was,  however,  nothing  to  be  done  but  just  to  let  the 
boat  drive,  and  a  short  time  afterwards  I  was  surprised  by 
seeing  the  two  Fijians  for'ard  jump  out  of  the  boat  and  hold 
her.  They  had  seen  the  phosphorescent  light  which  told  of 
a  coral  patch.  We  gradually  got  her  in  under  the  lee  of  an 
island,  and  soon  we  had  her  on  shore,  devoutly  thankful  for 
our  escape. 

We  found  ourselves  in  a  small  cavern,  which  had  been 
hollowed  out  by  the  action  of  surf  and  current  for  many  years. 
We  were  all  drenched  and  cold  and  miserable.  We  managed, 
however,  to  gather  some  pieces  of  wood,  but  for  a  long  time 
we  were  quite  unable  to  light  a  fire.  Every  expedient  to  do 
so  was  tried,  but  in  vain.  I  found,  however,  that  the  bottom 


SOME    INCIDENTS  199 

of  one  of  the  pockets  of  my  trousers  was  comparatively  dry. 
I  cut  it  off,  went  out  to  the  boat,  and  got  a  tablespoonful  of 
kerosene,  which  I  found  in  the  bottom  of  a  bottle.  With  this 
we  managed  to  start  a  fire,  around  which  we  huddled  until 
daylight  revealed  our  position.  The  gale  was  over  and  the 
sea  comparatively  smooth  ;  but  as  we  pulled  towards  Makada 
we  wondered  over  and  over  again  how  we  had  managed  to 
escape  the  sunken  patches,  and  the  heavy  seas  which  necessarily 
broke  over  them.  We  were  thankful  to  get  home,  and  when- 
ever old  Jack  got  too  positive  I  had  great  satisfaction  in  simply 
directing  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  he  had  once  in  his 
lifetime,  at  all  events,  made  a  mistake !  I  kept  the  trousers 
minus  the  pocket,  to  remind  me  to  tell  my  wife  of  a  very 
narrow  escape. 

A  GOOD   EXAMPLE   FOLLOWED 

When  I  first  appointed  a  teacher  to  the  village  of  Waira, 
about  four  miles  from  the  mission-station,  the  people  there 
had  a  very  bad  reputation.  They  never  planted  any  food,  as 
they  said  that  their  land  was  bad,  and  would  not  grow  any- 
thing ;  and  so  they  subsisted  entirely  by  thieving  and  trading, 
particularly  thieving.  Poor  Mijieli  had  a  very  bad  time  when 
he  was  first  located  there.  They  regularly  robbed  his  plantation 
as  soon  as  ever  the  produce  was  at  all  fit  for  eating.  I  used 
to  get  very  angry,  and  several  times  proposed  to  Mijieli  that 
he  should  leave  them,  and  be  appointed  to  some  other  place  ; 
but  the  dear  fellow  used  to  smile,  and,  whilst  he  acknowledged 
that  it  was  very  trying,  pleaded  to  be  allowed  to  remain 
with  them.  "  They  will  know  better  in  time,"  he  said  ;  "  and 
it  is  well  to  be  patient  with  them,  for  their  minds  are  still  dark." 
I  suppose  his  loving  patience  must  have  had  some  effect  upon 
them,  for  in  time  the  thieving  grew  less,  and  when  they  saw 
the  land  which  they  had  refused  to  cultivate  giving  good  returns 
they  had  an  object-lesson  which  they  could  easily  understand. 
They  saw  that  Mijieli  planted  the  kind  of  food,  sweet  potatoes, 


200  GEORGE    BROWN 

which  would  grow  best  and  give  the  earliest  returns  ;  so  they 
began  to  follow  his  example  and  to  plant  little  patches  of  their 
own.  But  the  climax  came  when  he  took  one  of  their  own 
little  yams  and  planted  it  in  proper  soil,  and  cared  for  it  as 
the  Fijians  and  Samoans  know  how  to  care  for  yams.  Then 
when  he  dug  up  in  due  season  some  yams,  of  which  they  said, 
"  One  man  could  not  carry  two  of  them,"  the  fame  thereof 
went  far  and  wide,  and  the  men  of  Waira  began  to  plant,  and 
in  a  short  time  were  able  to  sell  large  quantities  of  their  surplus 
produce. 

Other  examples  of  the  beneficial  effect  of  the  teachers' 
residence  amongst  the  people  were  soon  seen  in  the  improved 
character  of  the  houses  which  they  built.  I  noticed  this  more 
especially  on  New  Ireland,  where  some  of  the  natives  built 
houses  for  themselves  after  the  model  of  our  teacher's  house 
on  that  island. 

OUR  FIRST  CONVERT 

The  first  one  who  attached  himself  very  closely  to  us  was 
a  nice  little  fellow  named  Tolaplapira.  He  lived  a  good 
deal  with  Aminio,  the  teacher,  and  was  very  often  on  the 
mission-station,  though  he  brought  upon  himself  a  good  deal 
of  ridicule  and  opposition.  Shortly  before  his  death  he 
accompanied  us  on  our  visit  to  New  Ireland.  There  was  a 
strange  circumstance  connected  with  the  death  of  this  lad. 
There  is  a  river  at  the  place  at  which  we  stayed  in  New 
Ireland  which  the  Duke  of  York  people  were  very  much 
afraid  of.  They  say  that  if  any  of  them  bathe  in  that  river 
they  are  sure  to  die.  Tolaplapira,  however,  disreg'arded  this 
theory,  and  bathed  in  the  river  with  our  teachers.  He  was 
of  course  quite  safe  in  doing  this,  but,  strange  to  say,  he 
was  taken  ill  whilst  we  were  still  in  New  Ireland,  and  died  a  few 
days  after  his  return.  This  was  of  course  only  a  coincidence, 
but  it  was  one  which  gave  us  no  little  trouble  with  the  people 
at  the  time.  The  morning  after  his  death  I  heard  that  the 


("•  S 
o  " 

61 

.   fc 


<  w 

&  s 

o  « 
« 


p;    CO 

o   w 


w 
o  o 

K    < 


j-  W 
>  « 
K  < 


- 
SOME    INCIDENTS  201 

people  were  going  to  put  the  poor  lad's  body  in  the  sea, 
according  to  their  usual  custom  ;  but  I  sent  a  present  down 
to  them,  and  persuaded  them  to  let  us  bury  him  on  shore. 
We  felt  very  sad  as  we  did  this,  for  the  little  fellow  had 
endeared  himself  to  all  of  us. 

A  FIENDISH  ACT 

It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  state  of  these  people  if  I 
give  a  story  which  was  told  me  on  April  3  in  the  most  matter- 
of-fact  way,  as  though  it  was  something  of  quite  ordinary 
occurrence.  It  was  reported  without  any  feeling  of  reprobation 
on  the  part  of  my  informant.  He  said  that  some  time  ago 
a  poor  man  drifted  to  this  island  in  a  canoe.  The  chief  saw 
him  outside,  and  went  off  and  rescued  him.  He  was  in  a 
very  deplorable  state  from  starvation  and  exposure  ;  but  the 
chief  took  him  to  his  home,  gave  him  food,  and,  some  time 
afterwards,  when  he  was  recovered,  took  him  to  the  place  where 
the  dances  were  usually  held,  and  where  one  was  being  carried 
on  at  the  time.  As  the  people  were  dancing  the  poor  castaway 
asked  one  of  them,  "  Why  is  this  dancing  ?  Is  there  some 
pig  to  be  eaten  ? "  "  Oh  no,"  they  replied,  "  there  is  no  pig, 
but  we  are  going  to  eat  you  after  the  dance."  And  they  did 
so  that  same  day ! 

A  GOOD  TESTIMONY 

At  our  first  regular  quarterly  meeting  the  death  was  reported 
of  Timothy  Lase,  who  was  taken  ill  soon  after  our  arrival  here, 
and  died  on  November  30,  after  thirteen  weeks'  illness.  The 
teacher  said  that  it  was  an  old  complaint  from  which  he 
suffered  whilst  in  Fiji.  The  catechist  handed  in  to  the  meeting 
a  written  account,  of  which  I  give  a  literal  translation  : 
"  Timothy  Lase,  a  teacher  of  Duke  of  York  Island,  died  in 
the  month  of  November,  on  the  3Oth  day,  in  the  year  1875. 
His  sickness  began  when  he  got  wet  with  rain.  He  was  cold, 
and  afterwards  he  had  large  swellings  on  his  body.  He  drank 
a  great  many  medicines,  both  those  from  white  man's  land 


I 

202  GEORGE    BROWN 

and  those  we  use  in  Fiji ;  but  the  will  of  God  (death)  came 
to  him.  He  was  taken  with  his  sickness  in  the  month  of 
August,  the  3Oth  day.  Very  long  was  the  time  he  was  lying 
down,  nearly  13  Sundays.  The  heart  of  him  was  very  warm 
(he  was  very  earnest)  in  prayer  and  reading  the  Book  every 
day  of  his  illness.  When  he  was  preparing  to  die  he  then 
told  us  how  it  was  with  his  religion.  He  said  :  '  I  am  going 
to  heaven.  My  soul  is  like  a  tree  whose  boughs  are  interlaced 
or  joined  (with  another).  So  is  it  with  my  soul  and  Jesus  ;  my 
soul  is  united  fast  to  Jesus.  I  am  going  to  heaven  leaning 
on  Jesus.  I  am  going  to  heaven  because  I  depend  upon  Jesus, 
and  believe  Him.' " 

A  DIFFICULT  POSITION 

On  July  3  I  started  early  in  the  boat  for  Kininigunan  and 
Matupit,  and  had  a  good  trip  across.  I  observed  a  good  deal 
of  caution  before  going  on  shore,  as  we  knew  that  a  native 
belonging  to  some  part  of  this  district  had  been  shot  dead 
by  a  chief  in  a  trader's  boat.  Before  landing  I  called  out 
to  the  men  on  shore,  asking  them  where  the  man  lived  who 
had  been  shot,  and  they  told  me  most  positively  that  he  did  not 
belong  to  them,  but  to  a  village  some  distance  away.  After  some 
time  I  went  ashore  with  my  regular  companion,  Beni.  I  was 
suffering  from  a  severe  headache,  and  as  soon  as  I  got  just  inside 
one  of  the  large  boathouses  I  threw  myself  on  the  ground, 
and  rested  my  head  on  Beni's  thigh.  I  told  the  people  to 
go  and  bring  some  yams,  and  I  would  buy  them  ;  but  I  noticed 
that  they  only  pretended  to  go.  They  went  a  short  distance, 
but  soon  joined  the  crowd  on  the  beach  without  bringing 
anything  for  sale.  The  people  were  all  armed  and  seemed 
excited,  but  I  did  not  feel  afraid  until  one  of  the  chiefs  sitting 
just  at  my  back  looked  at  me  very  significantly,  I  thought, 
and  asked  me  if  I  was  not  frightened  to  go  on  shore  amongst 
them.  I  knew  at  once  that  I  had  been  trapped  by  false 
statements,  and  that  the  man  who  had  been  shot  was  really 
one  of  their  own  people. 


SOME    INCIDENTS  203 

I  do  not  profess  to  be  a  brave  man,  but  I  do  believe  that 
when  engaged  in  God's  work  His  servants  have  special  help 
given  to  them,  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  those  people  saw 
no  sign  of  fear,  or  any  attempt  to  escape.  I  told  them  that 
I  was  not  afraid  to  land  amongst  them  ;  that  I  was  very 
grieved  indeed  at  the  loss  which  they  had  sustained  ;  that  I 
would  make  definite  inquiries  about  it,  and  would  see  that 
it  was  reported  to  the  proper  authorities  ;  and  that  in  the 
meantime  I  would  see  that  proper  payment  was  made  as  some 
reparation  for  the  murder.  They  seemed  satisfied  with  my 
statement  ;  but  as  soon  as  I  could  do  so  without  exciting  their 
suspicions  I  got  into  the  boat,  and  felt  very  thankful  indeed 
when  we  got  well  clear  of  the  beach. 

I  made  full  inquiries  afterwards  into  the  matter,  and  found 
that  the  man  had  been  shot  without  any  provocation  whatever. 
A  short  time  afterwards  I  paid  the  people  a  visit,  and  went 
with  the  trader  from  whose  boat  the  shot  had  been  fired,  and 
again  made  all  possible  reparation  for  the  death  of  the  man. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  when  those  natives- trapped 
me  on  shore  by  means  of  false  statements  they  quite  intended 
to  take  my  life  as  satisfaction  for  the  murder  of  one  of  their 
people  by  another  white  man  ;  and  according  to  their  ideas 
they  were  quite  justified  in  doing  this.  It  was  one  of  the 
narrowest  escapes  I  had.  The  chief  who  asked  me  the  question 
as  to  whether  I  was  not  afraid  to  land  amongst  them  became 
one  of  our  first  converts  in  that  district,  and  was  the  first 
local  preacher  whom  we  received.  I  heard  him,  as  I  have 
described  in  another  place,  preach  the  first  sermon  which  was 
ever  preached  by  a  New  Britain  native  to  a  New  Britain 
audience,  and  he  preached  that  sermon  to  the  people  who  a 
short  time  before  had  killed  and  eaten  our  native  minister 
and  three  teachers  !  Such  things  can  God's  grace  do. 

AN   ACCIDENT  IN   A  STEAMER 

On  our  return  from  the  visit  to  Spacious  Bay,  of  which  I 
have  given  an  account,  we  had  an  exciting  experience  just  as 


204  GEORGE    BROWN 

we  made  the  Kininigunan  coast,  where  we  wished  to  stay. 
We  were  going  along  quite  quietly  when  something  suddenly 
went  wrong  with  the  engine,  and  the  machinery  commenced  to 
knock  and  clatter  most  violently.  Consternation  seized  us 
all,  and  no  one  seemed  to  know  what  to  do  except  the  natives, 
who  promptly  jumped  overboard,  and  left  Jack  and  me  in 
the  launch.  He  too  was  considerably  excited,  and  did  nothing 
until  I  called  out  to  stop  the  engine.  We  all  felt  that  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  ease  off  the  safety  valve,  but  no 
one  cared  to  go  so  near  the  boiler.  I  confess  that  I  did  not 
feel  at  all  comfortable  as  I  went  forward  to  do  this.  I  do 
not  believe  that  there  was  the  slightest  danger  in  doing  so, 
but  at  the  time,  in  my  ignorance,  I  certainly  felt  as  though 
I  was  taking  a  great  risk  for  the  good  of  the  whole  of  us. 
It  ,was  the  only  time  in  my  life  that  I  ever  felt  that  I  was 
doing  a  very  heroic  action,  yet  there  was  in  reality  not  the 
slightest  danger,  though  I  did  not  know  it.  When  the  boat 
stopped  we  could  see  the  black  heads  of  the  natives  far  astern, 
and  so  had  to  wait.  They  were  dreadfully  afraid  of  coming 
on  board  again,  but  were  more  afraid  of  going  on  shore,  as 
they  knew  well  that  they  would  have  been  killed  at  once  on 
landing.  We  had  a  good  laugh  at  them  when  they  got  on 
board,  though  we  had  been  almost  as  frightened  as  they  were. 
We  found  that  a  crank  pin  had  dropped  out,  and  that  had 
caused  the  accident.  We  drew  the  fire,  repaired  the  damage, 
got  up  steam  again,  and  went  on  our  way. 

BATHING    UNDER   INSPECTION 

When  I  visited  Kininigunan  to  return  the  chiefs  whom  I 
had  taken  away,  and  to  get  our  own  hostages  back,  I  felt  very 
tired  after  the  excitement  of  the  day  ;  and  as  there  was  a  nice 
stream  there  I  went  after  tea  to  have  a  bathe.  I  tried  to  get 
away  as  quietly  as  possible,  but  could  not  prevent  some  ten  or 
twelve  natives  accompanying  me.  The  operations  of  undressing, 
bathing,  and  dressing  were  most  intensely  interesting  to  these 


SOME   INCIDENTS  205 

aboriginals,  who  never  troubled  themselves  about  clothes,  and 
who  seemed  never  to  go  into  the  water  except  when  compelled 
to  do  so.  As  I  divested  myself  of  each  article  of  dress  they 
expressed  their  astonishment  by  a  loud  "  Ugh,  ugh  "  ;  and  when 
I  proceeded  to  dress  their  expressions  were  yet  more  decided. 
I  certainly  never  before  performed  my  toilet  under  such  close 
observation,  and  never  before  thought  that  trousers  and  braces 
would  excite  such  astonishment.  When  at  length  I  proceeded 
to  the  most  interesting  matter  of  all,  and  pulled  on  a  pair  of 
shoes,  and  tied  the  laces,  two  of  the  principal  men  each  picked 
up  a  pebble  from  the  beach  and  presented  them  to  me  as 
a  proof  that  I  had  given  them  great  satisfaction,  and  that  they 
complimented  me  as  being  a  very  clever  and  wonderful  fellow ! 
My  experience  in  New  Ireland,  where  the  same  custom 
prevails,  taught  me  that  for  this  compliment  I  ought  to  have  paid 
a  small  present  of  tobacco  and  beads  ;  but  fortunately  I  had 
none  with  me. 


A  QUIET  NIGHT 

After  the  bathing  experience  just  narrated  we  slept  that 
night  in  a  large  open  boathouse  on  the  beach,  with  plenty  of 
natives  lying  around  us,  both  inside  and  outside  of  the  house. 
Before  going  to  sleep  we  sang  a  few  songs  and  hymns,  finishing 
with,  "Shall  we  gather  at  the  river?"  It  was  a  strange  sight, 
and  suggestive  of  many  solemn  thoughts.  The  natives  were 
lying  all  round  us,  and  many  more  were  squatted  around  their 
fires  outside  the  shed,  as  we  tried  to  recall  the  words  and 
melodies  of  some  of  the  hymns  that  pleased  us  so  much  when 
we  heard  them  sung  in  our  own  homelands.  I  thought  much 
of  the  words  of  the  last  hymn,  and  comforted  myself  with  the 
assurance  that  at  the  meeting  beyond  the  river,  when  the  great 
multitude  gathered  from  every  language  and  people  and  tongue 
stand  before  the  throne,  there  will  be  many  there  from  that  far- 
off  land  ;  that  God's  servants  will  tell  of  the  triumphs  of  the 
Gospel  there,  and  thousands  who  there  know  Him  not  will  sing 


2o6  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  praises  of  Him  who  loved  and  redeemed  them,  and  called 
them  out  of  darkness  into  His  marvellous  light. 

COMMENTS  IN   CHURCH 

The  ways  of  a  New  Britain  congregation  in  1876  were  very 
different  indeed  from  those  of  our  congregations  in  the  home- 
lands, or  in  the  older  mission  districts.  I  felt  that  with  people 
in  such  a  primitive  condition  it  was  not  much  use  expecting 
what  is  called  proper  behaviour  in  the  church,  and  my  sermons 
were  delivered  in  a  very  conversational  style.  So  far  from  dis- 
couraging comments,  I  rather  encouraged  the  people  to  talk 
and  ask  questions  during  the  service.  I  was  preaching  at 
Urakukuru  on  July  23,  when  I  received  a  good  deal  of 
unsolicited  assistance  from  one  of  my  audience  in  church. 
When  I  said  something  that  was  strange,  a  man  who  thought 
he  understood  would  repeat  it  aloud  for  the  benefit  of  the 
others.  I  was  too  glad  at  exciting  their  interest  and  gaining 
their  help  to  do  anything  to  prevent  it.  My  assistant  would 
say :  "  Why  !  he  (the  missionary)  says  God  loves  us."  And  I 
replied :  "  Certainly  I  do.  God  is  our  Father,  the  Father  of 
white  men  and  the  Father  of  Duke  of  York,  New  Ireland,  and 
New  Britain  men,  and  He  loves  us  all  alike."  Another  of  my 
audience  then  repeated  this  after  me,  and  I  stopped  for  awhile 
to  give  them  time  to  take  in  that  idea,  so  new  to  them,  but  so 
grandly  true.  Then  the  words  :  "  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  to  make  us  all  good  men, 
to  make  us  fit  to  go  and  dwell  with  God,  where  God  is,  in 
heaven,"  were  next  repeated  with  some  excitement  by  several 
members  of  the  congregation.  I  then  said :  "  The  lotu 
(Christianity)  also  will  do  you  good  as  regards  this  life.  It  will 
make  you  build  better  houses,  wear  clothes,  live  peaceably  with  all 
men,  and  stop  this  continual  fighting.  It  will  teach  you  to  love 
God  and  to  act  rightly  to  all  men."  These  were  all  commented 
upon.  Then  I  said :  "  Some  say  that  the  lotu  is  kumpen 
(nonsense,  or  a  lie).  Some  say  that  the  lotu  is  pikoina  (bad). 


SOME    INCIDENTS  207 

What  do  you  say  ?  Is  it  good  to  lie,  to  steal,  to  cheat,  to  fight," 
etc.  ?  One  said  :  "  No,  no,  all  these  are  bad."  I  replied  :  "  That 
is  just  what  the  lotu  teaches.  You  know  that  those  things  are 
bad,  and  so  you  know  that  the  lotu  is  right  in  forbidding  such 
things."  It  was  an  interesting  service,  a  sample  of  many  held 
in  those  days  ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  I  wrote  in  my  diary  that 
night :  "  Oh  how  one  misses  the  regular,  quiet,  orderly  congre- 
gations in  the  homeland  !  " 

MAKING  FRIENDS 

One  of  our  great  difficulties  was  caused  by  the  isolated 
positions  in  which  most  of  the  people  lived,  one  district  being 
almost  at  constant  feud  with  its  neighbours  on  each  side,  and 
especially  with  the  bushmen.  There  was  little  or  no  intercourse 
whatever  between  districts  only  a  few  miles  apart,  and  this  was 
a  very  serious  hindrance  to  our  work.  Two  of  the  most  pro- 
nounced cases  were  those  of  Kininigunan  and  Matupit,  and  I 
was  extremely  anxious  to  terminate  this  quarrel.  When  the 
long-expected  John  Wesley  arrived  we  went  over  in  her  to  New 
Britain,  and  on  our  way  passed  close  by  the  Kininigunan 
district.  Canoes  came  off  with  the  chief  on  board,  and  I  tried 
hard  to  get  him  to  go  to  Matupit,  but  could  not  succeed,  as  he 
was  much  afraid  of  being  murdered  if  he  went  there.  There 
was,  as  I  have  stated,  an  old-standing  feud  between  them,  and 
only  a  few  months  previous  the  Matupit  men  murdered  four 
Kininigunan  men,  whom  they  surprised  and  surrounded  when 
out  fishing.  Two  of  them  were  cooked  and  eaten.  I  felt  very 
sorry  indeed  when  I  saw  the  chief  going  on  shore  again  after 
his  refusal  to  accompany  us,  as  I  had  depended  much  on  getting 
him  to  go  to  Matupit  in  the  brig,  so  that  he  might  see  Matupit 
chiefs  on  board.  I  felt  this  so  much  that  I  determined  that  the 
vessel  should  go  on  to  Matupit,  so  as  to  anchor  there  before 
dark,  whilst  I  went  on  shore  with  the  boat  This  I  did,  and 
when  on  the  beach  I  persuaded  the  chief  and  two  others  to  go 
with  me  to  Matupit,  assuring  them  that  they  would  be  quite 


2o8  GEORGE    BROWN 

safe  on  board  the  ship.  We  started  then  to  follow  the  vessel, 
but  the  courage  of  one  of  the  men  failed  him  before  we 
had  gone  very  far,  and  he  jumped  overboard  and  swam  back 
to  the  shore.  I  succeeded,  however,  in  keeping  the  other  two, 
and  we  got  them  on  board  about  7  p.m.  Some  Matupit  chiefs 
were  on  the  beach,  and  they  at  once  recognised  the  chief,  who 
was  awfully  frightened  at  being  so  close  to  his  mortal  enemies. 
The  Matupit  people,  however,  by  our  request,  talked  very  kindly 
to  him,  and  he  was  somewhat  reassured.  The  end  of  it  was 
that  we  were  able  to  leave  two  days  afterwards  with  a  promise 
from  the  Matupit  chiefs  that  they  would  make  friends  with 
them  at  once,  and  that  they  would  begin  the  peace-making 
ceremonies  as  soon  as  the  vessel  started.  It  was  a  great  comfort 
to  me  that  I  had  arranged  this  before  I  left.  The  peace  made 
then  has  never  since  been  broken,  and  the  people  of  those  two 
districts  now  associate  with  each  other  in  perfect  safety. 

A  MEAN   TRICK 

On  February  12,  1878,  I  heard  that  Torogud,  the  chief 
with  whom  I  was  very  friendly,  had  been  fighting  the  Kababiai 
people  again,  and  that  they  had  got  five  bodies,  which  they 
were  going  to  eat  next  day.  Previous  to  this  I  had  never 
known  of  one  of  these  cannibal  feasts  until  it  was  too  late 
to  try  to  prevent  it ;  but  as  I  heard  of  this  one  soon  after 
the  people  had  returned,  I  started  off  early  in  the  morning 
to  see  Torogud,  and  try  if  I  could  not  prevail  upon  him  to 
give  up  his  bad  custom.  Mr.  Turner,  the  botanical  collector, 
accompanied  us.  The  village  was  four  or  five  miles  from 
the  station,  and  about  two  miles  inland  from  the  coast.  We 
walked  along  the  beach  for  some  distance,  and  then  turned 
inland.  As  we  were  going  through  the  bush  we  heard  the 
peculiar  beating  of  the  drums  announcing  that  the  horrible 
feast  was  in  progress.  We  hurried  on,  and  soon  entered  the 
village,  evidently  to  the  great  surprise  of  the  people.  Almost 
the  first  object  which  we  saw  was  the  mangled  body  of 


SOME    INCIDENTS  209 

the  chief  they  had  killed  the  day  before,  tied  by  the  neck 
to  a  large  tree  in  a  standing  position,  the  toes  just  touching 
the  ground.  This  was  the  only  body  they  had,  as  the  others 
had  been  all  apportioned  out  to  the  neighbouring  villages  of 
Outam. 

We  sat  down  in  the  square,  and  I  sent  asking  Torogud 
to  come,  which  he  did  in  a  short  time.  I  then  talked  to 
him  earnestly  and  kindly,  and  begged  him  to  bury  the  bodies, 
and  not  to  allow  any  of  them  to  be  eaten.  He  told  me,  of 
course,  that  it  was  not  his  fault,  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
fight ;  it  was  the  Kababiai  people  who  wished  to  fight  him,  etc.  ; 
but  he  did  not  give  me  the  assurance  I  asked  for.  After 
another  talk  he  told  me  that  the  man  they  had  secured  had 
killed  his  mother  years  ago,  and  committed  some  other  very 
bad  acts,  leaving  it  to  be  inferred  by  me,  I  suppose,  that  it  was 
rather  unreasonable  for  me  to  wish  to  deprive  him  of  the 
pleasure  of  eating  him.  I  then  spoke  a  few  words  to  the 
people  around,  and  urged  them  to  join  with  me  in  asking 
the  chief  to  have  the  man  buried.  Torogud  then  said  that 
if  the  Outam  people  paid  him  back  the  diwara  (shell  money) 
which  he  had  paid  to  the  fighting  party,  he  would  bury 
the  man.  This,  however,  was  not  likely  to  be  done  that  day, 
and  in  the  meantime  the  question  of  cooking  or  burying  the 
man  must  be  settled  at  once  in  a  climate  like  that.  I  felt 
pretty  certain  that  no  cooking  would  be  attempted  whilst 
I  was  there,  and  so  I  prepared  to  remain  until  night  if 
necessary.  Torogud  evidently  saw  my  intention,  and  begged 
me  several  times  to  go  home,  telling  me  that  it  was  getting 
near  evening,  and  that  if  I  sat  there  much  longer  I  would 
certainly  get  the  fever,  and  as  he  and  I  were  such  great 
friends  he  would  be  very  sorry  if  this  should  be  the  case. 
I  told  him,  however,  that  I  was  quite  comfortable,  and  that 
I  was  very  much  enjoying  his  conversation.  After  a  little  more 
talk,  however,  he  told  me  that  out  of  love  to  me  as  his  friend, 
and  from  respect  to  the  lotu,  he  would  have  the  man  buried, 
whether  he  was  paid  for  him  or  not,  as  he  was  very  much 

14 


210  GEORGE    BROWN 

concerned  lest  I  should  get  ill  if  I  sat  there  any  longer.  He 
gave  me  a  very  decided  assurance  that  he  certainly  would 
not  have  done  this  for  any  other  man,  but  that  I  was  so 
good  to  him  that  he  felt  it  would  be  very  wrong  if  he  did 
not  accede  to  my  wishes.  I  was  very  pleased,  and,  as  I  fully 
believed  him,  we  prepared  to  return.  I  first,  however,  went 
some  distance  on  the  way  to  Outam,  where  the  bodies  of 
the  five  women  and  girls  were.  We  met  a  man  on  the 
way  who  told  us  that  it  was  no  use  our  going  there,  as  the 
bodies  were  already  on  the  fire ;  and  the  strong  smell  was 
positive  proof  to  us  that  he  was  telling  the  truth.  I  therefore 
decided  to  return,  as  I  felt  that  it  was  well  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  success  we  had  achieved,  and  that  it  would  not  be  wise 
to  place  these  people  in  the  predicament  of  having  to 
give  up  the  bodies,  or  displeasing  Torogud  by  not  following 
his  example. 

I  got  home  very  tired,  but  very  pleased  at  having  stopped 
this  cannibalism,  as  I  felt  that  Torogud's  example  would 
soon  be  followed  by  other  chiefs.  The  old  man  came  to  visit 
me  a  short  time  afterwards,  but  I  did  not  say  anything  to 
him  about  the  matter,  until  just  as  he  was  going  away,  when 
I  said  :  "  Oh,  by-the-bye,  Torogud,  did  you  bury  that  man 
the  other  day  after  I  left?  "  He  at  once  answered  :  "  Of  course 
I  did.  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  would  do  so?"  As  he 
seemed  a  little  surprised  that  I  should  even  appear  to  doubt 
his  word,  I  turned  the  conversation  at  once,  and  gave  him 
a  little  present  as  he  was  leaving.  As  soon  as  he  had  gone, 
however,  one  of  our  people  came  to  me  and  said,  "  Did 
Torogud  tell  you  that  he  buried  that  man?"  To  which  I 
answered,  "  Yes."  Then  my  companion  gave  a  significant 
smile,  and  said :  "  Oh  yes,  he  told  you  that  he  buried  the 
man,  and  that  was  true  ;  but  he  did  not  tell  you  that  he 
dug  him  up  again  immediately  after  he  had  done  so,  and  cooked 
him."  And  this  I  found  out  afterwards  was  actually  the 
fact.  He  had  kept  his  word  to  me  in  his  own  way,  but 
had  gratified  his  revenge  and  satisfied  his  appetite  as  well. 


SOME    INCIDENTS  211 

IMPROVING   HIS  OPPORTUNITY 

Soon  after  my  return  in  1877  I  was  preaching  at  Urakukuru, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  our  house,  and  after  the  service 
I  asked  the  teacher  why  the  old  chief  Tokakup  had  not  been 
to  see  me.  "  Oh,  he  is  ashamed,"  the  teacher  replied,  "  because 
they  killed  and  ate  a  man  whilst  you  were  away  in  Sydney. 
They  fought  with  Makada  some  weeks  ago,  and  ate  two  of 
the  slain."  The  teacher  tried  all  he  could  to  prevent  the 
cannibalism,  but  in  vain.  The  old  man  told  me  that  he 
himself  ate  of  this  one  body,  but  that  it  would  be  the  last. 
He  said :  "  You  see,  teacher,  Mr.  Brown  is  away  now,  and 
we  have  got  the  chance  of  doing  this.  If  he  were  here  he 
would  scold  me  probably,  and  I  should  not  be  able  to  eat 
it."  I  was  glad  to  hear  that  he  despaired  of  being  able  to  do 
this  again,  and  also  because  it  showed  that  we  we  were  acquiring 
an  influence  over  them. 


GESTURE  LANGUAGE 

During  the  visit  to  New  Ireland  in  December  1875  I  had 
rather  an  unpleasant  experience.  1  had  got  tired  of  trying 
to  beat  up  the  coast  in  the  ketch  Star  of  the  East,  against 
the  heavy  south-east  wind  and  current,  and  so  left  the  vessel,  and 
pulled  up  in  shore  with  the  whale-boat.  As  we  expected 
to  reach  a  native  settlement  soon,  we  did  not  take  any  provisions 
with  us.  When  we  got  in  with  the  land,  however,  we  found 
that  the  wind  and  current  were  too  strong  for  us,  and  we 
had  to  land  at  night  near  the  mouth  of  a  large  river.  The 
rain  was  pouring  down  in  torrents  nearly  all  the  night,  and 
some  one  had  to  keep  watch,  and  tend  the  fires  which  we 
managed  to  make  in  sheltered  places  to  keep  off  any  prowling 
crocodiles.  Next  morning,  hungry  as  we  were,  we  continued 
our  efforts  to  get  up  the  coast,  but  it  was  very  slow  work 
indeed  against  the  current,  and  the  crew  were  weak  from  want 
of  food.  I  steered  the  boat  quite  close  in  shore,  round  a  large 


212  GEORGE    BROWN 

bay,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  get  out  of  the  fearful  current, 
and  we  were  pulling  with  our  oars  almost  scraping  the  beach. 
Happening  to  look  up  I  saw  a  lot  of  natives  darting  hither 
and  thither  in  the  bush,  which  came  quite  close  down  to 
the  beach.  They  were  all  armed,  and  we  were  quite  within 
a  spear's  throw  of  them  ;  but  I  was  very  glad  indeed  to  see 
them.  We  could  not  speak  their  language,  but  I  stopped 
the  boat,  stood  up  in  the  stern  sheet,  held  up  my  hands  and 
pulled  up  my  shirt  to  show  that  we  were  quite  unarmed,  and 
then  beckoned  them  down  to  the  beach.  They  were  very 
suspicious,  but  finally  came  down.  No  one  in  the  boat  knew 
a  word  of  their  language,  but  we  managed  to  make  ourselves 
well  understood  by  them.  I  put  my  hand  into  my  pocket, 
pulled  out  some  red  beads,  which  I  held  up  invitingly  before 
them,  made  a  most  expressive  gesture  to  indicate  that  our 
stomachs  were  quite  empty,  made  another  gesture  to  show 
that  we  wanted  something  to  put  into  our  mouths,  so  that  our 
teeth  might  commence  work  again,  and  then  pointed  to  the 
beads  as  payment.  They  understood  at  once,  and  brought  us 
some  green  bananas  and  an  animal  which,  though  really  a 
grilled  'possum,  might  easily  have  been  taken  for  a  grilled 
cat.  It  had  just  been  thrown  on  the  coals,  without  skinning 
and  without  cleaning  ;  but  as  we  had  been  for  over  twenty- 
four  hours  without  food  we  certainly  were  not  disposed  to  be 
particular.  I  shared  out  the  food  we  received  with  the  utmost 
impartiality,  and  there  was  soon  nothing  left  of  the  'possum  but 
a  few  well-picked  bones. 

A  STRANGE  CUSTOM   WIDELY  SPREAD   IN    MELANESIA 

When  I  crossed  New  Ireland  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  at 
Kudukudu  a  very  pronounced  example  of  the  custom  of 
confining  young  girls  of  good  families  in  a  state  of  seclusion 
or  darkness  about  the  age  of  puberty.  This  is  known  in  Fiji 
as  "  tabusiga,"  "  forbidden  to  the  sun  or  day,"  but  it  is  also 
generally  practised  in  some  form  or  other  by  all  the  Melanesian 


SOME    INCIDENTS  213 

tribes   with   which    I    am   acquainted.     I    wrote   the   following 
description  in  my  diary  at  the  time : 

"  I  had  heard  from  the  teacher  about  some  strange  custom 
connected  with  some  of  the  young  girls  here,  and  so  I  asked 
the  chief  to  take  me  to  the  house  where  they  were.  The  house, 
which  was  about  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  stood  in  a  reed-and- 
bamboo  enclosure,  across  the  entrance  to  which  a  bundle  of 
dried  grass  was  suspended  to  show  that  it  was  strictly  tabu. 
Inside  the  house  were  three  conical  structures  about  seven  or 
eight  feet  in  height,  and  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  circumference 
at  the  bottom,  and  for  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  at  which 
height  they  tapered  off  to  a  point  at  the  top.  These  cages 
were  made  of  the  broad  leaves  of  the  pandanus  sewn  quite 
close  together,  so  that  no  light,  and  little  or  no  air,  can  enter. 
On  one  side  of  each  was  an  opening,  which  is  closed  by  a 
double  door  of  plaited  cocoanut  leaves  and  pandanus  leaves. 
About  three  feet  from  the  ground  there  is  a  stage  of  bamboos, 
which  forms  the  floor.  In  each  of  these  cages  we  were  told 
that  there  was  a  girl  or  young  woman  confined,  each  of  whom 
had  to  remain  for  at  least  four  or  five  years  without  ever  being 
allowed  to  go  outside  the  house.  I  could  scarcely  credit  the 
story  when  I  heard  it ;  the  whole  thing  seemed  too  horrible  to 
be  true.  I  spoke  to  the  chief,  and  told  him  that  I  wished  to 
see  the  inside  of  the  cages,  and  also  to  see  the  girls,  that  I  might 
make  them  a  present  of  a  few  beads.  He  told  me  that  it  was 
'  tabu,'  forbidden  for  any  men  but  their  own  relations  to  look 
at  them  ;  but  I  suppose  the  promised  beads  acted  as  an  induce- 
ment, and  so  he  sent  away  for  some  old  lady  who  had  charge, 
and  who  alone  is  allowed  to  open  the  doors.  Whilst  we  were 
waiting  we  could  hear  the  girls  talking  to  the  chief  in  a 
querulous  way,  as  if  objecting  to  something  or  expressing  their 
fears.  The  old  woman  came  at  length,  and  certainly  she 
did  not  seem  a  very  pleasant  jailor  or  guardian,  nor  did  she 
seem  to  favour  the  request  of  the  chief  to  allow  us  to  see 
the  girls,  as  she  regarded  us  with  any  but  pleasant  looks. 
However,  she  had  to  undo  the  doors  when  the  chief  told 


2i4  GEORGE    BROWN 

her  to  do  so,  and  then  the  girls  peeped  out  at  us,  and 
when  told  to  do  so  they  held  out  their  hands  for  the  beads. 
I,  however,  purposely  sat  some  distance  away,  and  merely  held 
out  the  beads  to  them,  as  I  wished  to  draw  them  quite  outside, 
that  I  might  inspect  the  inside  of  the  cages.  This  desire  of 
mine  gave  rise  to  another  difficulty,  as  these  girls  are  not 
allowed  to  put  their  feet  on  the  ground  all  the  time  they  are 
confined  in  these  places.  However,  they  wished  to  get  the 
beads,  and  so  the  old  lady  had  to  go  outside  and  collect  a  lot 
of  pieces  of  wood  and  bamboo,  which  she  placed  on  the  ground, 
and  then  going  to  one  of  the  girls  she  helped  her  down,  and 
held  her  hand  as  she  stepped  from  one  piece  of  wood  to 
another,  until  she  came  near  enough  to  get  the  beads  I  held 
out  to  her.  I  then  went  to  inspect  the  inside  of  the  cage  out 
of  which  she  had  come,  but  could  scarcely  put  my  head  within 
it,  the  atmosphere  was  so  hot  and  stifling.  It  was  quite  clean, 
and  contained  nothing  but  a  few  short  lengths  of  bamboo 
for  holding  water.  There  was  only  room  for  a  girl  to  sit  or  to 
lie  down  in  a  crouched  position  on  the  bamboo  platform,  and 
when  the  doors  are  shut  it  must  be  nearly  or  quite  dark  inside. 
They  are  never  allowed  to  come  out  except  once  a  day,  to 
bathe  in  a  dish  or  wooden  bowl  placed  close  to  each  cage. 
They  say  that  they  perspire  profusely.  They  are  placed  in 
these  stifling  cages  when  quite  young,  and  must  remain  there 
until  they  are  quite  young  women,  when  they  are  taken  out  and 
have  each  a  great  marriage  feast  provided  for  them.  One  of 
them  was  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old,  and  the  chief  told 
us  that  she  had  been  there  for  five  years,  but  would  very  soon 
be  taken  out  now.  The  other  two  were  about  eight  and  ten 
years  old,  and  they  have  to  stay  there  for  several  years  longer. 
I  asked  if  they  never  died,  but  they  said  no.  If  they  are  ill 
they  must  still  remain.  Some  other  girls  we  saw  outside  wore 
fringes  crossed  over  the  breast  and  back.  As  wdl  as  we  could 
learn,  they  must  wear  this  as  soon  as  they  attain  a  certain  age 
or  stage  of  growth,  and  continue  doing  so  until  marriageable. 
This  latter  custom  seems  to  be  followed  by  those  whose  parents 


SOME    INCIDENTS  215 

cannot  afford,  or  are  unwilling  to  bear  the  expense  of,  the  feasts 
which  the  other  barbarous  custom  entails.  I  felt  very  sad 
whenever  I  thought  about  those  poor  girls,  and  shuddered  at 
the  idea  of  any  of  our  own  little  girls  at  home  being  subjected 
to  such  treatment.  Our  people  tell  me  that  the  same  custom 
in  a  modified  form  prevails  also  on  the  western  side  of  New 
Ireland.  There,  however,  they  only  build  temporary  huts  of 
cocoa  nut  leaves  in  the  bush,  in  which  the  girls  remain." 


A  FURLOUGH,   AND   SECOND  TERM   OF 
RESIDENCE   IN    NEW   BRITAIN 


VI 

A   FURLOUGH,  AND   SECOND  TERM   OF 
RESIDENCE    IN    NEW   BRITAIN 

WE  left  Port  Hunter  for  Sydney  at  10.30  a.m.  on  August  31, 
and  so  terminated  our  first  year's  residence.  It  was  indeed 
a  most  eventful  one  to  us  all ;  and  as  the  land  passed  out  of 
our  sight  in  the  far  distance,  I  naturally  reviewed  in  my  own 
mind  the  history  of  the  past  months,  and  felt  very  thankful 
indeed  to  God  for  His  many  mercies  to  us  all,  and  for  His 
loving  care  over  us.  We  had  landed  with  much  anxiety,  and 
many  fears  for  our  future  ;  but  I  left  with  a  heart  full  of  hope. 
I  have  often  received  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  from  kind 
friends  on  account  of  the  loneliness  of  our  life  ;  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  with  the  exception  of  the  days  when  we  were  anxiously 
waiting  for  \htjohn  Wesley,  we  never  had  time  to  feel  lonely. 
Every  day  brought  its  duties,  and  the  extracts  from  my  diary 
which  I  have  given  will  show  that  we  had  plenty  of  travel, 
and  plenty  of  excitement  on  the  many  journeys  which  we 
made.  These  journeys  were  necessary,  not  only  for  exploring 
the  country,  but  in  order  to  familiarise  the  people  with  us, 
and  also  to  break  up  the  isolation  in  which  the  peoples  of 
the  several  districts  lived,  and  to  induce  them  to  have  free 
and  friendly  intercourse  with  each  other.  I  have  often  wondered 
since  those  days  that  I  was  able  to  do  so  much  travelling 
and  to  bear  so  much  exposure  and  discomfort,  because  I 
never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  illness  which 
I  contracted  at  Rotuma  on  our  way  down.  My  diary  has 
many  records  of  days  when  I  felt  very  seriously  ill,  and  some- 

219 


220  GEORGE    BROWN 

times  full  of  fears  for  the  consequences.  The  disease  from 
which  I  suffered  had  a  most  depressing  influence  upon  my 
mind,  and  also  made  me  feel  very  weak  ;  but  I  found  that 
the  best  remedy  was  more  work  and  plenty  of  travelling. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  John  Wesley  I  had  practically  com- 
pleted all  my  preparations  for  leaving.  At  our  last  quarterly 
meeting,  held  on  July  7,  we  had  fully  discussed  the  present  con- 
dition of  our  work,  and  had  marked  out  instructions,  which  all 
the  teachers  were  to  observe.  It  was  decided,  (i)  that  the  plan 
of  regular  visitation  and  short  services  in  the  smaller  villages, 
which  we  had  for  some  time  adopted  on  Duke  of  York, 
should  be  adopted  and  carried  out  on  all  our  stations.  (2)  That 
schools  were  to  be  held  at  least  four  days  each  week.  (3)  That 
each  teacher  should  give  particular  attention  to  the  duty  of 
educating  and  training  some  of  the  young  men  amongst  his 
converts,  to  act  as  exhorters  or  local  preachers.  (4)  That 
vocabularies  of  the  several  dialects  be  prepared  by  the  teachers 
and  given  to  the  missionary.  (5)  That  as  soon  as  possible 
all  our  churches  should  be  fenced  in  ;  and  (6)  That  letters 
should  be  sent  to  the  several  training  institutions  in  the  older 
Districts,  asking  them  for  help.  There  was  a  good  feeling  in 
the  meeting,  and  the  prayers  offered  for  my  family  and  myself 
were  very  earnest  and  sincere. 

And  here  I  think  it  right  to  express  my  opinion  of  the 
men  who  accompanied  me  to  New  Britain.  I  think  I  am 
not  fanciful  when  I  assert  my  belief  that  the  selection  of  the 
men  from  our  island  Districts  for  pioneer  missionary  work  has 
always  been  under  the  special  direction  of  God.  We  have 
had  good  men  in  all  our  mission  Districts,  but  the  rule  has 
been  that  the  pioneers  from  Tonga  and  Samoa  and  from 
Fiji  have  in  nearly  every  instance  proved  themselves  to  be 
men  above  the  ordinary  rank  and  file  of  the  teachers.  We 
had  few  men  in  Samoa  in  later  years  who  were  the  equals 
of  those  who  first  commenced  that  mission,  and  I  think  that 
this  was  also  the  case  in  Fiji  ;  and  I  have  always  felt  that 
though  we  had  good  and  devoted  teachers  in  the  succeeding 


A   FURLOUGH  221 

years,  yet  the  men  who  went  in  1875  were  specially  qualified 
for  their  work.  They  were  very  patient  in  times  of  illness, 
and  I  never  heard  the  slightest  regret  expressed  by  any  of 
them  for  the  step  they  had  taken  in  coming.  They  had  much 
to  bear  from  the  natives,  but  they  were  never  discouraged  ; 
and  no  one  ever  expressed  a  desire  to  return  to  his  own  home 
on  account  of  the  privations  which  he  suffered.  The  women 
also  were  equally  brave  and  self-sacrificing.  They  suffered 
much,  but  they  were  all  good  and  devoted  women,  and  bore 
very  patiently  the  many  discomforts  of  their  pioneer  life. 
With  the  exception  of  one  Samoan,  all  the  women  who  went 
with  me  in  1875  died  in  New  Britain. 

We  arrived  at  Sydney  on  October  10,  after  a  passage  of 
forty  days,  and  received  a  very  kind  reception  from  the 
Board  of  Missions  and  many  friends  in  and  about  Sydney. 
I  met  the  members  of  the  Board  with  Rev.  Eroni  Fotofili, 
and  gave  a  short  report  of  our  work.  The  following  resolution 
was  recorded  :  "  That  the  Board  desires  to  express  its  gratitude 
to  God  for  the  preservation  of  the  Rev.  George  Brown  during 
his  absence  for  nearly  two  years,  and  for  the  success  that 
has  attended  his  labours  in  beginning  the  mission  to  New 
Britain.  It  desires  also  to  express  its  appreciation  of  the 
services  of  Mr.  Brown,  and  prays  that  he  may  long  live  to 
extend  our  mission  work  in  this  part  of  the  world." 

A  few  days  after  our  landing,  that  good  man  and  devoted 
minister,  Rev.  Eroni  Fotofili,  with  whom  I  had  voyaged  from 
New  Britain,  died  very  suddenly  whilst  ascending  the  stairs 
to  the  Mission  Office.  I  had  met  him  on  the  stairs  a  few 
minutes  prior  to  his  death,  and  had  told  him  that  we  were 
both  to  go  to  Parramatta  to  attend  a  missionary  meeting, 
at  which  he  was  to  speak.  He  cheerfully  consented  to  go, 
and  these  1  believe  were  his  last  words  on  earth.  He  was 
ready  to  work  here  for  the  cause  he  loved  so  well,  but  God 
had  other  work  for  him  to  do,  and  called  His  loving  servant 
to  do  it. 

After   attending   several   missionary   meetings    I   sailed  for 


222  GEORGE   BROWN 

Auckland,  arriving  there  on  October  30,  glad  indeed  to  rejoin 
my  dear  wife  and  children,  and  to  be  at  home  again.  They 
were  all  well,  and  had  been  lovingly  cared  for  by  our  kind 
friends  in  Auckland  during  my  long  absence.  Going  to  New 
Zealand  was  always  "  going  home  "  to  me  ;  but  on  this  occasion 
my  heart  was  full  of  gladness  and  of  gratitude  to  God  as  we 
steamed  up  the  lovely  Waitemata  to  the  wharf,  where  many 
kind  friends  were  awaiting  our  arrival.  As  soon  as  possible 
I  told  my  dear  wife  of  the  success  of  our  mission,  of  the 
wish  of  the  Board  of  Missions  that  I  should  continue  the 
work,  and  that  I  had  deferred  the  answer  until  I  had  consulted 
her  on  the  subject.  I  told  her  that  if  we  returned  we  should 
have  to  leave  four  of  our  children  behind  us.  I  well  knew  how 
very  painful  this  would  be  to  her,  but  there  was  never  the 
slightest  doubt  in  my  mind  as  to  what  the  decision  would  be. 
My  wife,  as  all  our  friends  know,  is  a  woman  of  few  words, 
and  she  simply  said :  "  I  can  never  be  a  hindrance  to  you 
in  your  work.  If  it  is  God's  will  that  you  return  to  New 
Britain  I  am  sure  that  it  is  also  His  will  that  I  should  go 
with  you.  God  will  take  care  of  our  children."  So  by  the 
return  of  the  steamer  I  was  able  to  place  myself  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Conference  and  the  Board  of  Missions  for 
reappointment  to  New  Britain.  This  was  accepted  by  the 
Board  at  a  meeting  held  on  November  15,  and  so  our  way 
was  clear  to  make  the  necessary  preparations. 

I  was  only  able  to  stay  a  few  weeks  with  my  family  in 
New  Zealand,  as  I  had  to  be  in  Sydney  for  the  New  South 
Wales  and  Queensland  Conference  early  in  January.  At  that 
Conference  the  affairs  of  the  mission  received  very  careful 
consideration,  and  I  was  much  strengthened  by  the  interest 
which  was  manifested  in  our  work.  A  very  kind  resolution 
was  also  adopted  by  the  Conference,  expressing  its  gratitude 
to  Mr.  Henry  Reed  of  Launceston,  Tasmania,  for  the  deep 
interest  which  he  had  taken  in  it.  He  had  not  only  granted 
sufficient  funds  for  the  purchase  of  the  steam  launch,  about 
which  I  have  written  so  much,  but  on  hearing  that  I  had 


A   FURLOUGH  223 

consented  to  return  to  New  Britain,  and  that  my  family  would 
have  to  remain  in  the  colony  in  order  to  be  educated,  he  had, 
consequent  on  an  arrangement  of  this  kind  being  made, 
promised  a  sum  of  £200  a  year  so  long  as  I  was  engaged 
in  that  field  of  labour.  He  had  also  very  generously  forwarded 
another  draft  of  £200  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  second 
European  missionary  to  accompany  us.  I  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated some  of  the  remarks  which  were  made  in  Conference 
with  regard  to  Mr.  Reed,  and  especially  those  made  by  the 
late  Rev.  W.  J.  K.  Piddington,  who,  in  supporting  a  resolution 
of  thanks  to  Mr.  Reed,  who  was  an  old  friend  of  his,  said : 
"  He  was  a  man  whose  gifts  were  always  accompanied  with 
fervent  and  prevailing  prayer.  Would  to  God  we  had  more 
such  men  as  Henry  Reed  ! " 

After  the  Conference  I  was  constantly  employed  in  visiting 
the  various  circuits  in  the  respective  colonies.  Many  a  kind 
word  which  was  spoken  in  those  days  was  soon  forgotten  by 
the  speakers,  but  to  me  they  were  a  source  of  strength 
in  many  a  time  of  depression  and  sorrow  whilst  we  were  in 
New  Britain. 

A  large  house  was  made  for  us  in  Sydney,  and  a  car- 
penter, Mr.  McGrath,  was  engaged  to  help  in  its  erection  in 
New  Britain. 

We  left  Sydney  on  Friday,  May  18,  1877.  A  large  number 
of  ministers  and  friends  were  down  on  board  to  say  good-bye, 
and  many  of  them  went  with  us  down  the  harbour.  We  arrived 
in  Fiji  on  June  5,  and  did  not  leave  that  port  until  July  2  for 
Samoa,  which  group  we  reached  on  the  I3th.  There  had  just 
been  a  big  fight  between  two  of  the  political  parties  in  that 
group,  called  respectively  Puletua  and  Malo,  when  the  former 
were  defeated  and  laid  down  their  arms,  and  surrendered  the 
day  on  which  we  reached  Apia.  The  disturbed  political  state 
of  the  group  caused  the  British  Consul,  Mr.  Liardet,  to  impress 
the/c^tt  Wesley  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  despatches  to  Fiji. 
We  protested  against  this  action,  as  I  was  afraid  that  it  would 


224  GEORGE    BROWN 

prejudice  the  natives  against  us,  by  conveying  the  impression 
that  we  were  taking  sides  in  the  matter,  and  that  in  the  event 
of  any  complication  arising  between  the  British  authorities  and 
the  Samoan  Government,  we  should  be  blamed  by  the  natives 
as  the  cause  of  their  troubles.  In  fact,  I  felt  so  strongly  on 
the  matter  that  I  determined  that  if  he  (the  Consul)  refused 
to  allow  me  to  tell  the  Government,  I  would  either  refuse  to 
go  in  the  ship,  or  I  would  take  all  responsibility  myself,  and 
tell  the  Samoans  without  his  permission  that  we  had  no  choice 
in  the  matter  ;  but  that  if  he  as  Consul  demanded  the  services 
of  a  British  ship,  the  captain  must  obey  his  orders.  This  I 
suppose  had  some  effect,  as  I  was  allowed  to  communicate  with 
the  Government,  on  condition  that  I  did  so  in  his  office,  and 
that  we  went  at  once  from  the  Consulate  to  our  boat,  and  set 
sail  immediately,  without  taking  any  letter  or  holding  any 
communication  whatever  with  any  one  else.  The  members  of 
the  Government  thanked  me  very  much  for  what  I  had  done, 
assured  me  that  they  fully  understood  that  we  were  acting 
under  compulsion,  and  that  they  would  explain  our  exact 
position  to  the  other  members  of  the  Government.  The  Consul 
also  thanked  us,  and  we  left  for  the  ship  and  were  soon  at 
sea.  We  did  not  anchor  in  Fiji,  but  simply  left  the  letters,  and 
went  on  our  way  to  Rotuma,  which  place  we  reached  on  July  30. 
We  were  very  kindly  received  there  by  the  Rev.  T.  Moore. 

We  had  a  long,  tedious  passage  from  Rotuma,  having  very 
thick,  dirty  weather  nearly  all  the  way  ;  and  when  off  the 
entrance  to  St.  George's  Channel  we  fell  in  with  a  strong 
current,  which  set  to  leeward  on  the  east  coast  of  New  Ireland. 
As  we  neared  the  island,  August  21,  I  was  very  anxious  indeed 
to  know  how  the  teachers  had  fared  during  my  absence,  and 
we  were  a  good  deal  troubled  when  we  got  off  Port  Hunter 
and  saw  no  boat  coming  off  to  us.  After  awhile,  however, 
the  flag  was  hoisted  on  the  mission-station,  and  right  glad  we 
were  to  see  it  As  the  John  Wesley had  to  beat  in,  I  landed  first 
with  some  of  the  teachers  in  the  boat,  and  when  just  inside 
the  harbour  we  met  the  teachers  from  the  station  coming  out 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       225 

to  us  in  the  mission-boat  Our  first  question  was  naturally 
as  to  the  state  of  their  health.  They  informed  us  that  one 
teacher,  Aminiasi,  two  teachers'  wives,  and  two  children  were 
dead,  but  all  the  rest  of  the  party  were  well,  though  several  of 
them  had  been  ill  during  the  year. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  I  left  I  had  appointed 
the  native  minister  and  all  the  teachers  to  their  stations,  and 
had  definitely  instructed  the  native  minister  to  see  that  these 
appointments  were  carried  out  as  soon  as  possible.  I  was, 
therefore,  very  grieved  when  we  got  on  shore  to  find  that  the 
native  minister  and  many  of  the  teachers  were  still  living 
together  at  Port  Hunter,  where  they  had  formed  quite  a  little 
village  of  their  own.  On  asking  the  reason  for  this  I  could  get 
nothing  at  all  definite  from  Sailasa.  None  of  the  teachers  had 
been  injured  or  threatened  by  the  natives,  and  nothing  whatever 
had  occurred  to  prevent  the  location  of  the  native  minister 
and  the  teachers  in  the  villages  to  which  I  had  appointed 
them.  Only  three  of  these  appointments  had  been  carried 
out,  and  in  all  of  them  the  work  had  been  safely  prosecuted. 
The  native  minister  had  been  appointed  to  Kabakada,  but  I 
found  that  he  had  never  even  visited  the  place ;  and  that,  not 
content  with  neglecting  his  own  appointment,  he  had  kept  all 
the  other  teachers  doing  absolutely  nothing  at  Port  Hunter. 
I  was  very  sorry  indeed  to  find  that  the  man  on  whom  we 
had  placed  such  dependence  for  the  conduct  and  oversight 
of  our  mission  had  proved  himself  to  be  so  incompetent  for 
the  position.  I  think  it  right,  however,  to  say  that  Sailasa 
proved  himself  afterwards  to  be  a  good  and  earnest  minister 
when  working  under  the  direction  of  others. 

This  state  of  affairs  naturally  caused  some  feelings  of  dis- 
appointment on  landing,  but  otherwise  the  reports  were  good  from 
all  the  stations,  and  the  hard  work  in  which  we  were  at  once 
engaged  gave  us  little  time  for  indulging  in  regret  for  what  had 
taken  place  in  the  past.  I  found  that  three  new  stations  had 
been  taken  up,  in  accordance  with  my  instructions  when  leaving, 
namely,  Kininigunan,  Raluana,  and  Karavia ;  that  a  white  man 


GEORGE    BROWN 

named  Jamieson  and  a  Solomon  Island  woman  had  been 
murdered  by  the  natives  in  Kabaira  ;  that  another  trader's  wife 
had  been  poisoned  ;  and  that  this  had  led  to  a  collision  with 
the  natives,  and  the  station  had  to  be  abandoned.  During  the 
next  few  weeks  we  were  very  busily  engaged  in  landing  the 
timber  and  stores.  Whilst  the  vessel  was  in  port  we  got 
the  captain  to  set  in  the  first  block  of  our  new  house,  which  he, 
of  course,  did  in  a  regular  shipshape  manner.  After  the  John 
Wesley  left  us  my  wife,  the  children,  and  I,  had  to  do  the  best 
we  could  for  many  months  in  the  little  house  in  which  I 
camped  during  the  first  year  of  the  mission  ;  and  as  the 
principal  part  of  it  was  taken  up  with  stores,  we  had  very  little 
room  indeed  in  which  to  move  about. 

I  found  myself  with  twenty-six  teachers  and  their  families 
on  hand,  with  all  our  stores  and  material  to  arrange  and  care 
for,  and  the  house  to  build ;  so  there  was  quite  enough  to 
occupy  every  hour  of  our  time.  I  could  have  managed  much 
better  had  I  been  able  to  use  our  whale-boat,  but  the  teachers 
left  behind  had  regularly  wrecked  her  in  bringing  over  food 
from  the  large  islands,  and  until  she  was  repaired  she  was  quite 
useless,  and  I  had  to  depend  entirely  upon  the  steam  launch. 
As  I  had  to  take  the  carpenter  with  me  to  stay  in  her  whilst 
I  went  on  shore,  this  delayed  our  house-building  very  materi- 
ally. I  had,  however,  to  arrange  for  the  location  of  Sailasa, 
the  native  minister,  and  some  three  teachers,  on  the  north 
coast  of  New  Britain,  and  as  the  north-west  season  was  begin- 
ning, I  thought  it  advisable  to  land  at  Matupit  in  Blanche  Bay, 
rather  than  risk  the  long  journey  round  the  point  outside.  We 
left  the  launch  at  anchor  at  Matupit  and  journeyed  in  a  canoe 
to  Malakuna,  after  which  a  two  hours'  walk  overland  brought 
us  to  Ratavul  on  the  north-west  coast,  where  I  determined  to 
locate  one  of  the  teachers.  In  this  overland  walk  we,  of  course, 
only  crossed  the  long  crooked  volcanic  peninsula  which  has 
formed  Blanche  Bay.  It  seemed  to  be  a  long  journey  to  Kaba- 
kada,  and  the  day  was  very  hot,  so  I  decided  to  venture  in 
a  canoe ;  but  heartily  did  I  regret  my  decision,  when  I  found 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       227 

myself  in  deep  blue  water  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
beach,  in  a  nasty,  spitting  sea,  which  ever  and  anon  jumped 
into  our  canoe  in  a  most  spiteful  manner,  half  filling  her  with 
water,  and  quite  alarming  me  lest  we  should  go  down  in  deep 
water  ;  in  fact,  we  were  only  saved  from  doing  so  by  constant 
bailing,  and  by  one  of  the  crew  jumping  overboard  once  to 
hold  her  up  whilst  the  other  bailed  her  out.  I  stepped  out 
of  her  at  last  with  much  satisfaction,  and  with  many  resolves 
that  1  would  never  again  trust  myself  in  such  a  craft  on  such 
a  passage. 

I  found  that  Kabakada  had  been  occupied  by  Messrs. 
Southwell  and  Petherick,  who  were  trading  for  Messrs.  Goddefroy. 
The  first-named  gentleman  had  his  wife  with  him,  so  the  place 
presented  quite  a  civilised  appearance,  and  I  was  kindly 
received  and  hospitably  entertained  by  them  during  my  stay 
at  Kabakada.  The  principal  chief  of  that  district  was  called 
Bulilalai.  He  was  accused  of  being  the  instigator  of  Jamieson's 
murder  at  Kabaira,  ten  miles  distant,  and  as  the  Conflict  man- 
of-war  schooner  had  tried  to  get  hold  of  him,  he  was  very 
frightened,  and  kept  away  in  the  bush  when  any  strangers 
were  about.  I  heard  that  he  was  down  on  the  coast,  and 
tried  to  get  to  see  him,  but  he  would  not  come  near  the 
house.  I  then  sent  a  message  telling  him  that  I  was  unarmed, 
and  that  I  would  meet  him  with  a  single  teacher  at  any  place 
which  he  might  appoint.  When  the  messenger  returned,  I 
went  with  one  of  our  teachers,  but  Bulilalai  had  gone  into  the 
bush  when  we  reached  the  place.  I  contented  myself  with 
sending  him  a  small  present,  and  asking  him  to  meet  me  in 
the  morning.  Next  day,  however,  I  found  that  he  was  still 
afraid,  and  so  I  thought  it  best  to  leave  him  alone  for  a  while, 
as  I  might  only  confirm  his  suspicions  if  I  pressed  the  matter 
just  then.  I  sent  all  the  message  I  wished  to  send  by  another 
chief.  At  Kabakada  I  bought  a  fine  piece  of  land  for  Sailasa's 
house,  and  made  an  agreement  with  the  chief  to  help  in  the 
erection  of  it.  We  then  returned  to  Ratavul,  where  I  arranged 
for  the  purchase  of  another  piece  of  land  by  the  teachers.  After 


228  GEORGE    BROWN 

staying  for  awhile  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Brunow,  a  trader  recently 
located  there  by  Captain  Levison,  we  returned  across  the  land  to 
Malakuna,  reaching  that  place  just  at  sunset.  After  some  little 
trouble  we  got  a  canoe  and  pulled  back  to  Matupit,  having 
done  a  good  day's  work.  I  heard  at  Kabakada  that  the  trading 
station  at  Kabaira,  where  the  man  Jamieson  was  killed,  had 
been  again  abandoned.  This  was  then  the  only  trading 
station  which  had  been  established  at  any  place  where  our 
teachers  were  not  located,  or  where  we  had  not  been  in  the 
habit  of  visiting.  At  all  the  other  places  the  traders  had  been 
quite  safe.  I  was  much  annoyed  when  we  reached  Matupit 
to  find  that  the  natives  there  had  broken  open  the  lockers 
in  the  steamer  and  stolen  almost  everything  that  was  of  any 
use  to  them,  and  some  other  things,  such  as  screw  wrenches, 
oil  feeder,  etc.,  which  were  of  no  use  at  all  to  them,  but  were 
indispensable  to  us.  The  thieves  were  known,  but  the  chiefs 
had  little  or  no  power  to  compel  restitution,  and  it  was  not 
until  late  on  Sunday  night  that  we  could  recover  the  articles 
which  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  us-  to  have  to  enable  us 
to  manage  the  steamer. 

On  October  9  we  held  our  general  meeting,  when  I  formally 
inquired  into  all  that  had  taken  place  during  my  absence. 
I  found  occasion  to  administer  reproof  in  several  instances  ; 
but  there  was,  I  am  happy  to  say,  no  occasion  for  any  serious 
exercise  of  discipline.  We  had  a  most  interesting  meeting, 
and  our  future  conduct  and  plans  were  well  considered.  The 
appointments  were  then  made.  We  had  seven  stations  in 
Duke  of  York,  eleven  on  New  Britain  occupied  by  thirteen 
teachers,  and  five  on  New  Ireland  occupied  by  six  teachers. 

I  found  even  at  that  time  abundant  proofs  that  the 
influence  of  our  work  was  being  felt  and  acknowledged  by  the 
natives.  I  noticed  a  great  change  since  we  arrived  here  in  1875. 
At  that  time  you  would  not  have  seen  a  single  person,  male 
or  female,  with  any  clothing  on  at  all,  but  now  (1877)  there  were 
great  numbers  who  would  have  been  ashamed  to  go  without 
clothes.  When  we  first  came  every  man  went  about  armed  with 


SECOND   TERM    OF   RESIDENCE       229 

a  spear  and  a  tomahawk,  but  at  this  time  we  rarely  saw  an 
armed  native  about  the  place.  But  perhaps  the  greatest  change 
was  apparent  in  their  own  social  intercourse.  In  the  earlier 
days  natives  never  went  out  of  their  own  district  except  to 
villages  where  they  had  regular  trading  relations,  but  at  this 
time  many  of  the  villages  interchanged  visits  and  were  on 
friendly  terms  with  each  other.  As  an  instance  of  this  I  give 
the  following  extract  from  my  diary,  written  on  November  22  : 
"  The  chief  of  Outam  and  a  large  number  of  his  people  came 
to  the  mission-station  to-day  to  have  a  look  at  our  house. 
This  is  the  first  time  that  they  have  ever  been  in  this  village, 
though  they  live  within  three  miles  of  us.  The  old  chief  told 
me  that  he  had  never  set  foot  in  it  before  to-day,  and  they 
all  said  that  it  was  only  through  Christianity  that  they  had 
been  able  to  come.  As  it  was,  they  were  all  well  armed  and 
only  came  in  force,  and  with  much  fear  and  trembling." 

On  New  Ireland  this  change  in  their  social  relations  was 
very  apparent.  The  natives  themselves  noticed  this,  and  often 
told  me  that  before  the  lotu  came  to  them  they  were  always 
at  war,  but  now  they  were  forgetting  how  to  fight.  It  is 
indeed  the  same  gospel  of  peace  still.  Another  point  which 
I  noticed  as  affording  valuable  testimony  to  the  wisdom  of 
our  plan  of  carrying  out  this  evangelistic  work  principally  by 
native  teachers,  was  the  testimony  which  our  teachers  gave  me, 
that  the  natives  often  considered  them  as  belonging  to  them, 
and  forming  part  of  their  own  community,  and  that  they  did 
not  thieve  so  much  from  them  as  they  formerly  did,  and  were 
also  very  much  ashamed  if  they  were  caught  doing  so. 

On  Monday,  October  22,  I  started  for  New  Ireland,  Topaia 
District,  as  I  wished  to  arrange  for  the  location  of  the  teachers 
just  appointed  there.  We  had  very  rough  weather,  and  our 
experiences  were  at  times  decidedly  unpleasant  We  explored 
the  large  river  for  some  distance  by  canoe  and  on  foot.  It 
was  the  largest  river  here,  and  we  had  some  trouble  to  pull 
against  the  rapid  stream.  After  going  about  a  mile  the  river 


230  GEORGE    BROWN 

widened,  and  was  much  shallower,  so  we  got  out  and  walked. 
We  shot  no  birds  that  were  new,  nor  did  we  see  any  natives. 
We  came  upon  one  solitary  footprint  in  the  sand,  which  made 
the  lad  who  was  with  me  turn  almost  pale  with  fear,  as 
they  are  very  frightened  of  these  terrible  bushmen.  He  was 
very  glad  indeed  when  we  decided  to  return  to  the  beach. 
We  slept  on  the  beach  that  night,  and  next  morning  started 
for  Kabatigoro.  Here  we  had  to  remain  until  night,  as  the 
strong  south-east  wind  effectually  stopped  our  progress.  There 
was  a  very  heavy  sea  running  on  the  coast  against  which  it 
would  have  been  simple  folly  to  try  and  contend,  so  we  made 
ourselves  as  comfortable  on  the  beach  as  the  ants,  etc.,  would 
allow  us  to  be,  and  waited  for  the  moon  to  be  well  overhead, 
when  we  started  for  Kalil.  As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  I 
occupied  myself  in  skinning  an  alligator,  which  the  natives  had 
caught  and  sold  to  me.  It  was  not  a  large  one,  but  it  was  a 
tough  job,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  through  with  it  just  as  we 
reached  our  destination.  I  arranged  for  one  of  the  teachers 
to  be  stationed  here,  and  selected  a  site  for  the  station.  Next 
day,  as  the  strong  wind  still  continued,  I  determined  to  leave 
the  steamer  at  anchor  and  walk  back  to  a  town  called  Waatpi, 
which  I  had  not  been  able  to  visit  the  evening  before.  It 
was  a  long  walk,  but  I  was  glad  we  went.  I  decided  upon 
stationing  a  teacher  there,  and  so  selected  a  site  for  his  house. 
We  had  a  miserable  walk  back,  especially  over  the  loose  shingle 
on  the  beach.  My  shoes  were  nearly  worn  out,  in  fact  the 
soles  were  quite  gone  in  some  places,  so  that  the  loose  sand 
and  pebbles  worked  in.  For  a  long  distance  the  only  ease  I 
could  get  was  by  walking  in  the  surf  on  the  beach,  so  that 
the  rush  of  the  water  through  the  holes  in  the  boots  might 
alter  the  position  of  the  gravel  inside  occasionally.  I  was 
heartily  glad  when,  on  limping  round  one  of  the  points,  I  saw 
the  little  Henry  Reed  riding  bravely  to  her  anchor.  I  had  been 
a  little  anxious  about  her,  and  so  I  was  the  more  pleased  to 
see  that  all  was  right. 

On  our  return  to  Port  Hunter  we  found  the  ketch  Star  of 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       231 

the  East  at  anchor.  She  was  brought  by  two  gentlemen 
from  Sydney,  Mr.  Powell  and  Mr.  Wood,  on  an  exploring  and 
trading  expedition.  Mr.  Turner,  from  the  Botanical  Gardens, 
Sydney,  also  formed  one  of  the  party  and  was  engaged  in 
collecting  living  and  dried  plants. 

On  October  31  I  was  able  to  make  the  following  statement 
in  my  diary :  "  We  held  our  usual  prayer-meeting  this  morning, 
and  I  returned  from  it  with  a  very  thankful  heart,  for  this  was 
the  first  time  that  any  of  these  people  had  taken  any  public 
part  in  our  service.  I  called  upon  Aminio  to  pray  in  Duke  of 
York  language,  and  also  Peni  Lelei  of  Molot,  and  Topilike  of 
New  Ireland.  Peni  was  a  little  nervous  at  first,  but  soon 
recovered,  and  offered  a  very  beautiful,  simple,  childlike  prayer 
to  God,  thanking  Him  for  His  love,  and  entreating  Him  to 
help  and  bless  and  guide  him  and  all  these  people  into  the 
true  knowledge  of  Himself,  the  one  true  God.  My  eyes  filled 
with  tears  as  I  heard  him  pray,  and  I  thanked  God  with  a 
grateful  heart.  Topilike's  prayer  was  in  the  New  Ireland 
language,  of  which  I  only  understood  a  little,  but  it  was  very 
appropriate.  We  prayed  in  Fijian,  in  Samoan,  in  English,  in 
Duke  of  York,  and  New  Ireland  languages  ;  but  God  heard  and 
understood,  and  He  will  answer  all.  Oh !  how  thankful  I  feel 
to  Him  as  I  write  these  few  lines.  May  the  time  soon  come 
when  all  these  people  shall  know  and  serve  Him." 

Early  in  December  I  had  to  visit  New  Ireland  again,  in 
order  to  take  the  teachers'  wives  and  goods  over  to  them. 
They  (the  teachers)  went  over  some  few  weeks  previously,  and 
had  been  engaged  in  putting  up  their  houses  on  three  new 
stations.  We  left  Port  Hunter  in  the  ketch  Star  of  the  East, 
with  the  whale-boat  in  tow.  Mr.  Powell  kindly  offered  to 
accompany  us,  and  as  we  had  so  many  to  take  with  us  I  gladly 
accepted  his  kind  offer.  We  were  absent  for  about  ten  days.  I 
did  a  good  part  of  my  work  in  the  whale-boat,  as  I  found  that 
I  could  do  it  more  quickly  by  pulling  to  windward  close  in 
shore  instead  of  trying  to  beat  up  outside.  I  had,  however,  an 
unpleasant  experience  in  doing  so,  which  I  have  given  under  the 


232  GEORGE    BROWN 

head  of  "Gesture  Language"  in  "Incidents."  At  one  place  we 
visited  Kalil,  Kait,  the  lagoon  Pana  Kabatigoro,  and  other 
spots.  When  we  left  the  latter  place  we  pulled  down  to  the 
river  Kamdaru,  and  rested  there  for  a  while.  I  went  up  into  the 
bush  to  shoot  whilst  waiting  for  the  bushmen  from  Alaket  to  come 
down  to  us,  according  to  a  promise  which  they  had  made  ;  but 
they  did  not  come,  and  after  hearing  the  story  which  Kaplen 
told  me  as  we  were  out  shooting,  I  did  not  wonder  at  their  still 
suspecting  treachery.  He  said  that  a  few  years  ago  his  father, 
King  Joni,  Topulu,  and  some  others  came  over  there  and  traded 
for  provisions  with  these  Alaket  people,  and  so  in  time  gained 
their  entire  confidence.  On  one  of  their  visits  they  blew  the 
conch  shell  as  a  signal  for  the  bushmen  to  come  down  and 
trade  with  them.  One  man  and  two  women,  one  a  girl  of  about 
eighteen,  came  down,  but  instead  of  receiving  them  kindly  the 
Duke  of  York  men  treacherously  killed  the  man  and  one  woman, 
and  took  the  other  one  away  with  them,  still  alive,  though 
wounded.  This  poor  girl  sat  in  the  canoe  all  the  way  over 
to  Duke  of  York,  and  I  believe  the  men  were  anxious  to  save 
her  life ;  but  when  the  Duke  of  York  women  heard  this  they 
all  rushed  upon  her  like  a  lot  of  furies,  and  killed  and  ate  her. 
Kaplen  told  me  that  he  saw  this  himself,  and  that  his  own 
mother  was  one  of  the  principal  ringleaders  of  the  women  ;  so 
it  must  have  taken  place  only  a  few  years  before. 

I  visited  each  station  again,  and  also  our  old  one  at  Kalil. 
I  wrote  in  my  diary:  "We  shall  do  well  on  New  Ireland  ;  in 
fact,  I  think  we  have  had  more  success  at  Kalil  than  we  have 
had  at  any  other  place.  Le  Bera,  the  chief  there,  is  a  nice 
fellow,  and  has  more  influence  than  most  of  the  chiefs  seem 
to  have.  He  strictly  observes  the  Sabbath,  and  is  very  attentive 
to  the  service.  The  teacher  was  telling  me  to-day  as  we  came 
over  in  the  boat,  that  he  (Le  Bera)  is  very  kind  indeed  to  him, 
and  often  gives  him  presents — real  presents,  be  it  known,  for 
which  he  actually  refuses  to  take  any  return  present.  There 
is  hope  for  New  Ireland  after  that.  My  presents  always  cost 
me  twice  their  value,  and  I  never  expected  to  hear  of  any  of 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE      233 

these  people  so  soon  understanding  the  relation  in  which  the 
teacher  stands,  and  their  duties  to  him.  Some  few  weeks  ago 
the  bushmen  were  fighting,  and  one  man  was  killed.  They 
brought  the  body  a  long  distance  to  Le  Bera,  fully  expecting 
that  he  would  buy  it  as  he  used  to  do ;  but  he  positively  refused 
to  do  so,  telling  them  that  he  was  "  lotu "  now,  and  that  he 
had  given  up  cannibalism.  They  still  pressed  him  to  buy,  but 
desisted  when  he  gave  them  a  significant  hint  that  if  he  wished 
to  eat  human  flesh  again  it  was  easy  enough  for  him  to  kill 
some  one  for  himself." 

We  again  had  a  very  rough  time  of  it  on  the  New  Ireland 
coast.  I  had  to  spend  the  last  night  on  the  open  beach,  trying 
to  sleep  on  the  large  coarse  gravel  of  which  it  is  composed, 
and  was  tired  enough  to  be  able  to  do  so  except  when  some 
lump  of  stone  forced  itself  between  my  ribs,  and  compelled  me 
to  change  my  position,  or  when  I  had  to  dig  out  one  of  the 
cobbles  on  which  my  hip  bone  was  grinding  to  make  a  hole 
in  which  it  could  fit  with  less  discomfort  to  myself.  I  generally 
managed  to  hang  my  hammock  under  a  tree,  but  the  rain  drove 
me  out  that  night  to  try  and  find  shelter  under  a  fallen  log. 

During  the  two  latter  months  of  that  year  there  were  several 
collisions  between  the  natives  and  the  traders,  and  some  of  the 
trading  stations  were  burnt. 

On  January  I,  1878,  we  left  Port  Hunter  in  company  with 
the  ketch  Star  of  the  East,  for  our  second  visit  to  Spacious 
Bay.  Our  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Powell,  Mr.  Wood  (the 
owners  of  the  vessel),  Mr.  Turner  of  the  Sydney  Botanical 
Gardens,  and  Mr.  Holmes  (old  Jack),  with  two  natives  on  the 
ketch  ;  and  Mr.  McGrath  (the  carpenter),  a  Samoan  teacher, 
Sositeni,  with  myself  and  four  natives  on  the  steam  launch. 
I  wished  to  explore  Spacious  Bay  again,  and  as  Mr.  Powell 
and  his  party  were  also  anxious  to  do  so  we  decided  to  go 
together.  The  journey  was  too  far  for  us  to  make  alone,  as 
we  could  not  carry  sufficient  coal  in  the  launch,  but  with  the 
ketch  this  was  quite  practicable.  On  January  3  we  were 


234  GEORGE    BROWN 

near  Cape  Buller.  Mr.  Wood  and  I  went  in  shore  in  the 
steam  launch  to  look  for  an  anchorage.  We  landed  at  the 
mouth  of  a  small  creek,  which  we  followed  up  in  the  boat  for 
a  short  distance.  It  was  very  evident  to  us  that  there  had 
been  a  recent  upheaval  at  this  place,  as  the  bed  of  the  creek, 
and  also  the  sides  of  it,  were  entirely  composed  of  large  blocks 
of  coral  and  coral  d6bris.  Whilst  on  shore  I  felt  very  unwell, 
and  had  many  symptoms  which  reminded  me  of  my  old  attacks 
of  elephantiasis  in  Samoa ;  but  as  I  had  never  had  an  attack 
since  I  came  here  I  paid  but  little  attention  to  them.  As  soon, 
however,  as  I  got  on  board  all  doubt  about  the  fact  was  speedily 
dispelled,  and  I  knew  at  once  that  my  old  enemy  had  made 
a  fresh  attack.  I  was  seized  with  violent  shiverings,  together 
with  great  prostration.  Though  I  was  in  a  bunk  in  the  little, 
close  cabin  of  the  ketch,  with  three  blankets  over  me,  I  still 
felt  bitterly  cold.  The  disease  ran  its  usual  course,  and  ere 
long  I  was  very  hot  and  feverish,  and  a  violent  inflammation 
of  the  leg  was  fully  established.  Next  day  I  was  still  a  close 
prisoner,  miserable  and  despondent,  wanting  to  work,  wanting 
to  go  ashore,  but  unable  to  stir. 

Whilst  we  were  in  the  ketch  Mr.  Wood  coasted  close  in 
shore  with  the  steam  launch,  and  saw  numbers  of  natives  on 
the  beach.  He  tried  all  he  could  to  get  into  friendly  intercourse 
with  them,  but  in  vain.  They  were  quite  unapproachable,  and 
slung  stones  at  the  steamer,  shook  their  spears  in  a  very 
warlike  manner,  and  made  the  most  insulting  and  indecent 
gestures  in  what  one  of  the  party  called  "  regular  Whitechapel 
style,"  and  they  were  always  named  by  us  the  "  Whitechapellers," 
to  distinguish  them  from  all  the  other  natives  we  met.  At 
this  place  also  Kaplen,  our  Duke  of  York  lad,  caused  a  great 
sensation  on  board  by  calling  out :  "  Oh,  look  at  their  tails. 
There  they  are  at  last ! "  And  at  once  all  heads  were  thrust 
out,  regardless  of  stones  or  anything  else.  The  tails  were 
there  certainly,  round  and  of  the  regular  orthodox  shape ; 
but  a  close  inspection  showed  that  they  did  not  wag,  or  even 
project  stiffly  behind,  but  only  dangled  flabbily ;  and  on  9, 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       235 

still  closer  inspection  they  resolved  themselves  into  the  plaited 
ends  of  the  cloth  bands  which  these  people  all  wore  round 
their  loins.  Our  Duke  of  York  people  at  that  time  wore  no 
clothes  at  all,  so  it  was  quite  new  to  them  to  see  men  wear 
any  covering. 

The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  coasting  along  during 
the  day,  and  anchoring  during  the  night  at  some  convenient 
place  for  wood  and  water.  On  Monday,  the  7th,  we  steamed 
into  a  fine  snug  bay  at  the  extreme  end  of  Spacious  Bay. 
This  pleasant  and  safe  harbour  we  called  Henry  Reed  Bay, 
by  which  name  it  is  still  distinguished  on  the  charts.  We 
found  a  large  river  emptying  itself  into  the  bay.  This  we 
ascended  for  five  or  six  miles,  when  we  were  stopped  by 
shallows.  It  was  by  far  the  largest  river  we  had  yet  seen  in 
those  parts.  We  passed  through  some  very  pretty  reaches, 
and  found  large  numbers  of  a  species  of  eucalyptus  growing 
on  the  banks  of  the  river,  some  of  them  being  very  large, 
fine  trees.  This  was  very  interesting  to  Mr.  Turner,  as  there 
was  no  previous  record  of  any  eucalyptus  being  found  in 
New  Britain. 

Next  day  some  of  our  party  went  on  shore  early  to  cut 
firewood  for  the  steam  launch,  whilst  Mr.  Wood,  Mr.  Turner, 
and  I,  ascended  another  creek  in  the  boat.  We  named  this 
Gum-Tree  Creek,  from  the  large  number  of  fine  trees  we  found 
on  the  banks.  I  was  left  in  charge  of  the  boat,  whilst  the  rest 
of  the  party  went  away  to  cut  down  a  gum-tree  for  a  specimen 
of  the  wood,  and  also  to  get  the  seeds  and  flowers.  I  improved 
the  time  by  shooting  some  specimens  for  my  collection  of 
natural  history.  In  the  evening  we  sailed  for  the  village  at 
which  I  had  landed  on  my  previous  visit.  As  soon  as  we  saw 
the  natives,  those  of  us  who  had  been  there  before  were 
unanimous  in  our  opinion  that  they  were  not  the  people  we 
saw  on  our  first  visit.  It  will  be  remembered  that  I  described 
them  as  being  lighter  in  colour  than  our  own  natives,  with 
straighter  hair  ;  that  the  chiefs  had  more  power ;  and  that  the 
women  seemed  to  occupy  a  much  higher  social  position.  These 


236  GEORGE    BROWN 

people  that  we  saw  on  our  second  visit  were  just  the  same  as 
the  natives  all  down  the  coast  along  which  we  had  come.  The 
explanation  was  very  clear  when  we  went  on  shore.  It  was 
very  evident  that  the  natives  whom  we  had  seen  two  years  ago 
had  been  entirely  destroyed,  or  driven  away  by  the  bush 
natives.  We  found  one  large  village  containing  thirty-two 
houses,  all  enclosed  by  a  strong  fence,  but  quite  deserted.  Many 
other  houses  had  been  burnt,  and  amongst  the  ashes  of  one 
of  them  were  large  quantities  of  human  bones.  One  of  the 
natives  whom  we  now  met  pointed  to  them  in  an  exulting 
manner,  and  we  all  felt  that  some  horrible  butchery  had  been 
perpetrated  there  not  many  weeks  ago.  One  of  the  houses 
was  forty  feet  in  length,  by  about  sixteen  in  width,  and  was 
of  a  far  superior  make  to  any  we  had  ever  yet  seen  in  those 
parts.  The  large  central  pillar  was  carved  and  painted,  and  at 
one  end  of  the  house  the  sides  were  covered  with  fine  reed 
work,  which  was  also  carried  up  to  the  roof,  and  formed  a 
dome  round  the  large  pillar.  The  house,  indeed,  was  as  far 
superior  to  those  in  Duke  of  York  as  a  good  villa  is  to  an 
Australian  gunyah.  We  went  on  shore  to  trade,  but  found 
that  they  had  very  little  food  indeed  to  spare ;  in  fact,  we 
could  scarcely  get  anything  at  all  from  them.  They  were  a 
rough  lot,  and  very  suspicious.  At  this  place  Kaplen,  my 
boy,  and  two  others,  saw  and  shot  at  an  animal  about  the 
size  of  an  average  pig.  Kaplen,  who  had  been  to  Sydney, 
said  it  was  a  monkey.  It  was  not  that,  of  course,  but  the 
question  what  it  was  has  still  to  be  answered. 

Next  day  we  ran  down  the  bay  before  a  strong  trade- wind, 
but  found  no  safe  anchorage.  We  hauled  our  wind  from  near 
Cape  Orford,  and  stretched  across  for  the  opposite  shore  on  our 
return.  On  Friday,  the  nth,  we  were  beating  all  day,  but  had 
to  run  back  to  our  previous  anchorage  at  night.  There  was  a 
great  crowd  of  natives  on  the  beach,  who  tried  to  get  us  ashore  ; 
and  I  think  we  should  have  gone,  but  we  had  no  means  of 
doing  so.  Towards  evening  the  natives  commenced  to  stone 
us,  and  made  some  very  good  shots,  as  many  of  their  stones 


SECOND    TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       237 

passed  just  over  our  heads,  and  struck  the  water  with  great 
force  on  the  other  side.  I  have  always  found  that  natives  who 
use  the  bow  and  arrow  are  much  more  dangerous  than  those 
who  have  only  spear  and  tomahawk,  as  many  of  them  can 
shoot  with  great  accuracy ;  and  on  this  occasion  I  was 
compelled  to  form  a  high  opinion  of  the  accuracy  with  which 
natives  can  use  the  sling  and  stone,  and  of  the  great  distance 
at  which  this  weapon  is  effective.  The  stones  sent  from  the 
beach  seemed  to  come  with  the  force  of  bullets,  though  we 
were  some  distance  out  at  sea. 

We  did  not  reach  home  until  after  midnight  on  the  I3th, 
but  I  was  very  pleased  indeed  that  I  had  been  able  to  make 
the  trip,  as  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  there  was  a  good  opening 
for  mission  work  in  and  about  Spacious  Bay,  and  that  it  would 
be  quite  practicable  to  establish  stations  there  when  we  were  in 
a  position  to  do  so.  We  had  also  found  that  there  was  no 
waterway  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  island,  as  many  people 
had  supposed. 

On  January  30  we  heard,  much  to  our  surprise,  that  the 
old  volcano  in  Blanche  Bay  was  in  eruption.  I  was  just 
recovering  from  a  severe  attack  of  fever  and  elephantiasis,  and 
so  could  not  go  over,  even  if  it  had  been  safe  to  do  so.  A 
day  or  two  after  I  heard  that  Jeremia,  the  teacher  at  Topaia, 
was  very  ill,  and  so  I  decided  to  postpone  my  visit  to  the 
volcano  and  at  once  to  visit  him.  We  left  at  noon  on  Febru- 
ary 5  in  the  whale-boat.  On  our  way  over  we  could  plainly  see 
the  volcano  in  full  eruption,  and  thick,  heavy  clouds  of  smoke 
hanging  over  it,  and  hiding  the  coast  for  many  miles.  We  got 
near  Kabatigoro  a  little  before  sunset.  A  native  on  the  coast, 
anxious  to  give  us  the  news,  ran  along  calling  from  the  beach 
to  tell  us  that  Jeremia  was  dead.  It  seemed  to  please  him 
that  he  was  the  first  to  tell  the  bad  news.  We  found  all  the 
teachers  ill  when  we  landed.  One  great  trouble  I  had  with 
the  Fijians  was  to  induce  them  to  make  raised  bedsteads,  and 
so  they  suffered  far  more  than  they  would  otherwise  have  done. 

I  sent  away  to  Waatpi,  asking  the  chief  to  come  and  see  me, 


238  GEORGE    BROWN 

but  he  sent  a  messenger  to  tell  me  that  he  could  not  come  to  see 
me,  as  his  foot  was  bad.  I  strongly  suspected  that  this  was 
a  falsehood,  but  simply  sent  back  a  friendly  message,  together 
with  a  small  present.  It  was  no  use  getting  angry  with  him, 
as  he  was  evidently  frightened  that  I  was  angry  with  him  on 
account  of  Jeremia's  death.  My  action  reassured  him,  and 
he  came  in  the  evening,  bringing  me  a  small  pig  as  a  present. 

On  Friday,  February  15,  we  started  for  New  Britain  to 
examine  the  volcano,  and  also  to  assure  ourselves  of  the  safety 
of  the  teachers  and  their  families.  This  volcano  is  situate  in 
Blanche  Bay,  on  the  north-east  coast  of  the  island,  near  its 
northern  extremity.  The  bay  forms  part  of  Gazelle  Peninsula. 
I  am  strongly  of  opinion  that  many  years  ago  the  whole  of 
Blanche  Bay  was  itself  an  active  volcano,  and  I  think  the 
soundings  which  have  been  recently  taken  by  one  of  H.I.G.M. 
ships  of  war  will  probably  confirm  this  opinion.  The  land  on 
all  sides  is  of  pumice  formation.  My  opinion  is  that  the 
present  entrance  to  Blanche  Bay  has  been  formed  during 
some  terrible  eruption,  which  burst  up  the  land  there,  and 
admitted  the  sea  into  the  crater,  and  that  this  now  forms 
the  bay  itself.  Our  company  consisted  of  Messrs.  Wood, 
Turner,  McGrath,  Howard,  three  teachers,  Lelei,  and  myself. 
When  we  left,  the  whole  of  St.  George's  Channel,  the  large 
and  deep  strait  which  separates  New  Britain  and  New  Ireland, 
was  full  of  floating  pumice  ;  no  salt  water  was  visible,  and 
the  deep-sea  channel  looked  just  like  a  great  sandy  desert. 
The  strong  currents,  however,  between  Duke  of  York  and  the 
mainland  of  New  Britain  kept  the  fields  of  pumice  there  in 
constant  motion,  and  so  we  thought  it  was  practicable  to  get 
across.  We  did  not,  however,  take  the  steamer,  but  decided 
to  go  in  the  whale-boat.  As  we  got  close  in  to  the  New  Britain 
coast  near  Nodup,  we  found  that  there  was  a  large  field  of 
pumice  between  us  and  the  beach,  extending  for  several 
miles  along  the  coast,  and  having  an  average  breadth  of  about 
half  a  mile.  We  saw  the  boat  of  a  trader  living  there  a  little 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       239 

ahead  of  us,  and  as  he  sailed  right  into  the  pumice,  and  with 
sails  and  oars  prepared  to  pass  through  it,  we  followed  his 
example,  presuming  from  his  local  knowledge  he  knew  that 
it  was  practicable  to  do  so.  We  soon  found,  however,  that 
it  was  not  possible  to  force  a  boat  through  the  mass,  and  so 
we  determined  to  regain  the  open  water,  which,  after  long, 
hard  pulling,  we  managed  to  accomplish,  much  to  our  satisfaction. 
The  trader  tried  to  follow  our  example,  but  he  had  got  too 
far  in ;  and  though  he  was  not  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
open  sea,  and  had  a  good  crew,  they  could  not  get  back  to 
the  water,  but  had  to  remain  prisoners  until  a  change  in  the 
current  moved  the  pumice  away  the  next  day.  Had  the  whole 
field  broken  from  the  coast  in  a  large  mass  they  would  probably 
have  been  carried  out  to  sea.  We  pulled  up  the  coast  some 
distance,  to  a  point  where  the  field  was  very  narrow,  and  then 
giving  good  way  we  managed  to  force  a  passage  near  enough 
to  the  beach  to  enable  the  natives,  who  waded  out  a  short 
distance,  to  catch  a  long  rope  which  we  threw  to  them  ;  and 
so  they  were  able  to  drag  the  boat  to  the  shore.  The  field 
was  at  least  three  feet  thick,  and  was  composed  of  large  and 
small  pumice,  some  of  the  pieces  being  as  large  as  a  barrel. 
Looking  at  it  |from  the  shore,  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that 
it  was  not  a  patch  of  dry  reef,  and  it  was  only  after  attempting 
to  walk  on  it  that  we  were  assured  of  the  fact  that  there 
was  deep  blue  sea  underneath.  After  some  refreshment  we 
decided  to  cross  the  promontory  that  evening,  and  so  started 
away  at  once.  We  went  in  at  the  back  of  the  Mother,  and 
reached  Malakun,  at  the  head  of  Blanche  Bay,  about  an 
hour  after  sunset,  and  slept  at  our  teacher's  house,  which 
was  also  occupied  by  Mr.  W.  Hicks,  of  Matupit,  who  had 
fled  there  for  safety. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  my  diary :  "  Saturday, 
February  16,  started  away  at  daylight  in  Mr.  Hicks's  boat. 
We  pulled  close  past  the  Beehive  Rocks,  which  we  saw  were 
gradually  sinking,  as  the  houses  on  them,  which  were  some 
feet  above  high-water  mark  on  my  previous  visit,  were  now 


240  GEORGE    BROWN 

quite  flooded  at  high  water.  A  little  farther  down  the  bay 
I  saw  that  the  small  rocks  off  Karavia  on  the  south-west  side 
of  the  bay,  noticed  in  the  Blanche  survey,  were  raised  up 
several  feet  above  their  former  height,  and  several  other  rock 
patches  (not  before  visible)  near  them  were  also  recently  up- 
heaved. About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  nearer  the  beach  we  saw 
the  large  island  which  has  been  thrown  up  by  the  submarine 
volcano.  The  north-west  side  seemed  cool  and  easy  of  access, 
so  we  pulled  towards  it,  and  as  soon  as  we  got  into  shallow 
water  I  jumped  out,  and  waded  through  the  hot  water  and 
pumice  to  the  beach,  so  that,  with  the  exception  of  W.  Hicks, 
the  half-caste  trader,  I  was  the  first  white  man  to  land  on  this 
island  of  a  week's  growth.  Mr.  Hicks  and  I  walked  from  the 
beach  where  we  landed  over  masses  of  pumice  and  hard  igneous 
rocks,  fissured  in  every  direction  with  deep  cracks,  through 
many  of  which  smoke  and  steam  still  issued  very  violently. 
The  land  sloped  gradually  from  the  north-west  beach  to  the 
summit  of  the  island,  where  it  terminated  almost  perpendicularly 
at  a  large  cup-like  cavity,  the  sides  of  which  were  about  seventy 
feet  in  height,  at  the  summit  of  the  island,  gradually  sloping 
down  in  a  circular  direction  towards  the  south-east,  until  they 
nearly  united  on  the  opposite  side,  a  passage  of  about  ten  yards 
alone  remaining,  through  which  the  boiling  water  of  the  crater 
flowed  out  into  the  bay.  The  cavity  thus  formed  was  full  of 
water,  apparently  very  deep  indeed,  boiling  most  furiously,  and 
emitting  vast  clouds  of  sulphurous  steam.  It  was  a  strange 
sight  to  see  this  island,  bearing  witness  as  it  did  to  the  great 
convulsions  of  nature  still  going  on  around  us.  A  few  weeks 
before  I  had  passed  over  the  spot  in  my  boat,  and  all  was 
quiet  and  still,  with  the  deep  waters  of  the  bay  covering 
the  place  where  now  such  powerful  agents  were  at  work. 
We  kept  on  our  way  round  the  lip  of  the  crater  until  we 
came  to  the  ten-yard  channel  I  have  before  mentioned  ;  and 
as  this  was  full  of  a  deep  current  of  boiling  water  rushing 
through  it  to  the  bay,  it  effectually  stopped  our  further 
progress.  The  land  at  this  point  was  only  a  few  feet  above 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE      241 

the  sea  level,  and  bore  the  marks  of  very  recent  eruptions 
of  boiling  water  discharged  from  the  crater  having  flowed 
over  it.  We  were  not  without  apprehensions  that  we  might 
be  caught  in  some  such  eruption  ourselves,  and  so  thought 
it  best  to  quit  such  a  dangerous  locality  as  soon  as  possible, 
more  especially  as  the  sulphurous  steam  was  beginning  to 
affect  us.  The  water  on  the  beach  all  round  the  island  was 
quite  hot,  and  in  many  places  was  boiling  furiously.  For 
some  distance  from  the  island  the  water  was  of  a  muddy, 
yellow  colour,  which  contrasted  in  a  marked  manner  with 
the  clear  blue  sea-water  a  little  farther  out  in  the  bay." 

This  eruption,  as  I  have  stated,  was  in  the  beginning  of 
1878,  and  for  several  years  afterwards  I  used  to  read  accounts 
of  large  fields  of  pumice  found  in  different  parts  of  the  South 
Seas,  some  of  them  many  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  the 
scene  of  the  eruption.  I  was  much  amused  also  in  reading  a 
contribution  from  the  very  facetious  London  correspondent  of 
one  of  the  largest  dailies  in  Australia.  This  gentleman  stated 
that  he  had  been  accustomed  to  subscribe  regularly  to  a  library 
of  fiction,  but  he  had  lately  met  with  such  interesting  matter  in 
a  scientific  periodical  called  Nature  that  he  had  decided  for 
the  future  to  give  up  the  fiction  library  and  take  in  Nature 
instead.  As  one  reason  for  this,  he  said  that  it  had  been 
gravely  asserted  in  this  scientific  journal  that  during  a  recent 
eruption  in  Blanche  Bay,  in  New  Britain,  the  fish  came  up 
ready  cooked,  and  this  had  decided  him  to  transfer  his  sub- 
scription and  patronage  to  Nature,  and  to  give  up  fiction. 
This  he  no  doubt  considered  to  be  a  very  facetious  way  of 
expressing  his  incredulity  ;  but,  as  will  be  seen,  it  was  only 
another  illustration  of  the  trite  saying  that  fact  is  often  stranger 
than  fiction.  What  are  the  facts  ? 

The  width  of  Blanche  Bay  from  the  point  at  Raluana  to 
Point  Praed  is  five  miles  at  least.  From  a  line  drawn  between 
these  points  to  the  head  of  Simpson's  Harbour  I  estimate  the 
distance  to  be  about  eight  miles  ;  and  the  width  of  the  bay  from 
the  volcano  to  Karavia,  near  which  the  island  came  up,  at  about 

16 


242  GEORGE   BROWN 

six  miles.  This  is  all  deep  blue  sea-water.  When  the  officers 
of  H.M.S.  Blanche  surveyed  this  bay,  they  got  no  bottom  at 
seventeen  fathoms  up  the  centre  of  it  for  nearly  the  entire 
length,  and  when  I  passed  over  the  same  track  in  H.M.S. 
Beagle  we  got  no  bottom  at  thirty  fathoms,  until  we  got  very 
near  the  head  of  Simpson's  Harbour.  It  will  give  some  idea  of 
the  heat  evolved  by  the  volcano  when  I  state  that  for  some  time 
after  it  broke  out  all  the  water  in  this  bay  was  at  scalding  heat, 
and  when  we  were  at  Malakuna  it  would  have  been  utterly 
impossible  even  for  that  funny  correspondent  to  wade  more 
than  a  few  inches  into  the  water,  though  the  tide  had  then  been 
ebbing  and  flowing  into  it  for  several  days.  All  the  fish  in 
this  immense  sheet  of  water  were  killed,  and  so  far  from  it  being 
an  exaggeration  to  say  that  they  were  all  cooked,  it  is  easily 
proved  that  they  were  very  much  over-cooked.  For  example, 
it  is  well  known  that  the  tortoise-shell  of  commerce  is  procured 
from  the  hawksbill  turtle,  and  the  plan  which  the  natives  adopt 
for  getting  off  the  shell  is  by  means  of  heat,  which  accounts  for 
the  charred  spots  which  often  detract  so  much  from  the  value 
of  the  shell.  There  were  hundreds  of  these  turtles  destroyed 
by  the  boiling  water,  and  yet  only  twenty-seven  pounds  of 
tortoise-shell  were  collected  from  the  whole  of  them,  because 
the  turtles  had  been  so  much  boiled  that  in  many  instances 
nearly  all  the  shell  had  dropped  off.  Water  that  was  hot 
enough  to  melt  the  shell  from  the  back  of  a  hawksbill  turtle 
was  surely  hot  enough  to  cook  any  ordinary  fish  ! 

I  have  described  this  new  submarine  volcano  first,  because 
we  went  to  it  first,  and  because  it  preceded  the  eruption  from 
the  old  crater  on  the  mainland  by  a  few  hours.  The  island, 
when  it  was  first  upheaved,  was  about  three  miles  in  circum- 
ference, and  in  some  places  about  a  mile  wide.  The  crater  on 
the  mainland  is  on  the  opposite  or  north  side  of  the  bay, 
situate  between  the  Mother  and  the  South  Daughter.  The  old 
people  told  us  that  there  was  a  small  eruption,  not  nearly  so 
large  as  the  present  one,  some  thirty  or  forty  years  before,  but 
since  then  the  volcano  had  been  very  quiet  indeed.  I  had 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE      243 

ascended  the  crater  twice  during  the  previous  two  years,  and 
found  it  to  be,  from  all  outward  appearances,  nearly  extinct 
as  there  was  only  a  very  little  light  smoke  ascending  from 
the  bottom,  not  even  visible  on  the  top  of  it.  On  one  of  those 
visits  I  took  some  photographs  of  the  place ;  but  on  this  visit 
I  found  that  the  side  of  the  old  crater  on  which  my  camera 
then  stood  had  quite  disappeared,  and  that  the  place  was 
now  the  centre  of  the  new  crater.  The  eruption  was  preceded 
by  frequent  earthquakes,  which  were  very  heavy  indeed  on 
New  Britain,  but  which  we,  on  Duke  of  York  Island,  only 
twenty  miles  distant,  scarcely  felt.  On  the  night  of  Sunday, 
February  3,  the  earthquakes  were  very  violent  indeed,  and 
on  Monday  morning  there  were  two  tidal  waves,  which 
destroyed  la  large  part  of  the  shore-line.  Soon  after  this 
clouds  of  steam  were  observed  rising  from  the  bay,  in  a  direct 
line  from  the  old  crater  on  the  mainland  and  the  place  from 
which  the  island  I  have  described  was  upheaved.  As  the 
submarine  volcano  increased  in  strength,  those  steam  clouds 
in  the  deep  water  ceased,  and  the  old  crater  burst  out  with 
terrific  power.  The  inhabitants  of  the  bay  and  of  the  island 
of  Matupit  all  fled  to  the  high  lands  until  the  first  fury  of 
the  eruption  abated.  When  we  saw  the  volcano  it  presented 
a  grand  and  awful  sight ;  billow  after  billow  of  thick  black 
smoke  and  flame  were  shot  out  with  great  force,  and  formed 
a  very  high  column,  which  towered  up  far  above  the  surrounding 
mountains.  "  The  Mother  "  is  two  thousand  feet  high,  and  we 
were  all  agreed  that  the  volume  of  flame  and  smoke  was  at 
least  as  high  above  the  summit  as  the  height  of  the  mountain 
itself.  For  a  few  minutes  there  would  be  a  comparative  lull, 
then  a  deep  rumbling  sound,  after  which  there  was  a  loud 
roar,  followed  or  accompanied  by  violent  expulsions  of  ashes 
and  pumice,  and  cloud  after  cloud  of  thick  smoke  following 
each  other  in  quick  succession,  the  lower  one  forcing  itself 
into  the  one  which  preceded  it,  whilst  the  upper  clouds  were 
overlapping,  curling  and  wreathing  round  the  lower  ones, 
as  if  in  very  madness  of  frolic  they  were  revelling  in  their 


244  GEORGE    BROWN 

escape  into  the  pure  atmosphere.  :As  we  approached  the 
crater  in  our  boat  we  could  see  that  the  explosion  had  taken 
place  on  the  side  of  the  crater  nearest  the  bay,  and  that  a  new 
cone  was  being  rapidly  formed,  having  for  its  centre  what 
was  formerly  the  south  side  of  the  old  crater.  As  we  ap- 
proached it  from  the  windward  side,  we  were  able  to  get 
quite  close  to  it,  and  it  was  a  most  awe-inspiring  sight.  There 
was  no  discharge  of  lava,  but  large  blocks  of  pumice  and  rock 
were  continually  being  shot  out,  whilst  the  roaring  could  be 
heard  distinctly  at  Duke  of  York  Group,  nearly  twenty  miles 
away.  Not  a  green  leaf  was  to  be  seen,  though  all  was  covered 
with  grass  and  trees  a  fortnight  before.  The  dead  and 
blackened  trees,  with  almost  every  branch  beaten  off  by  the 
stones,  stood  like  spectres  on  the  hillsides  and  gave  a  most 
mournful  aspect  to  the  scene,  whilst  the  cocoanut  trees  on 
Matupit  and  places  far  enough  away  to  escape  destruction, 
were  so  weighted  by  the  dust  and  ashes  that  their  leaves 
hung  straight  down  by  the  stems,  giving  them  rather  a  comical 
appearance — in  fact  we  all  agreed  that  they  were  very  much 
like  a  lot  of  closed  gigantic  Chinese  umbrellas.  As  we  could  see 
no  safe  practicable  way  of  ascending  the  crater  we  decided  to 
return.  We  could  hear  the  dull  thud  of  the  stones  as  they 
fell,  and  we  decided  that  we  were  close  enough  to  them,  and 
that  it  would  not  be  pleasant  to  get  shut  in  by  the  large  fields 
of  pumice  floating  about  the  bay,  an  event  which  might  easily 
take  place  by  a  change  of  wind  or  tide.  We  returned  to 
Malakuna  in  the  afternoon. 

As  we  passed  down  the  bay  on  our  way  home  we  found 
that  another  point  of  land  had  been  formed  near  Escape  Bay, 
which  was  about  twenty  feet  in  height  and  extended  seawards 
about  150  yards  from  the  old  shore-line.  The  whole  of 
the  vegetation  from  Point  Praed  to  the  volcano  was  entirely 
destroyed,  the  prevailing  wind  having  carried  the  pumice  in 
that  direction.  This  part  of  the  coast,  which  was  formerly 
so  beautiful  that  it  attracted  the  notice  of  all,  was  a  scene 
of  utter  desolation,  the  banana  plantations  and  cocoanuts, 


PRESENT    APPEARANCE    OF    CRATER,    WHICH    WAS    FULL    OF    BOILING    WATER 

IN    1878,   AND   FOR  SOME   YEARS   AFTERWARDS. 
These  two  views  show  vegetation  and  large  casuarina  trees  on  the  island. 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       245 

on  which  the  natives  depended  for  food,  not  showing  a  sign 
of  life.  We  heard  that  one  woman  who  was  unable  to  get 
away  was  killed  by  the  first  showers  of  stones,  but  I  could 
not  find  out  whether  this  was  true  or  not.  We  reached  Nodup, 
fortunately,  without  meeting  any  large  field  of  pumice. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  note  here  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place.  I  have  visited  this  island  several  times  since  1878, 
my  last  visit  being  in  September  1905,  on  which  occasion  I 
took  some  interesting  photographs  of  it.  I  found  that  it  had 
materially  decreased  in  width,  the  shore-line  having  been  in 
many  places  washed  away.  It  had  also  decreased  somewhat 
in  height,  owing  to  the  pumice  and  ashes  sinking  and  becoming 
compacted  by  their  weight  and  the  action  of  the  weather. 
I  found  also  that  the  channel  which  formerly  separated  the 
island  from  some  older  rocks  at  the  west  end  had  been  filled 
up.  The  island  is  now  a  long  narrow  one,  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  in  circumference,  its  widest  part  being  at  the  south  end, 
where  the  crater  of  boiling  water  was.  The  cliffs,  composed  of 
pumice  and  ashes,  are  almost  perpendicular  both  on  the  seaward 
side  and  also  on  the  side  of  the  crater,  which  is  now  open  to  the 
sea  on  the  southern  end.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  miniature  reproduction 
of  the  way  in  which,  as  I  think,  the  whole  of  Blanche  Bay  was 
formed.  When  I  last  visited  the  place  the  whole  island  was 
covered  with  bush,  and  some  of  the  Casuarina  trees  were  thirty 
or  forty  feet  in  height.  This  is  a  good  example  of  the  rapid 
disintegration  of  the  pumice  under  the  effect  of  sun,  wind,  and 
rain,  and  of  the  rapid  growth  of  vegetation  in  the  tropics.  I 
think  that  my  experiences  with  regard  to  the  event  are 
unique.  I  had  often  sailed  by  boat  over  the  spot  where  the 
island  now  is.  I  landed  on  it  when  it  was  still  hissing  hot, 
and  when  all  the  sea  around  it  was  at  scalding  heat.  I  have 
lived  long  enough  to  see  it  covered  with  vegetation,  and  have 
taken  photographs  showing  the  large  groves  of  trees  on  it, 
many  of  which  are  at  least  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height.  I 
do  not  know  how  long  the  water  remained  hot  in  the  crater, 
but  it  was  still  very  hot  two  years  after  the  eruption,  for  we 


246  GEORGE    BROWN 

used  to  take  our  boats  and  vessels  and  anchor  them   in  the 
current  which  flowed  from  it,  in  order  to  kill  the  teredo. 

On  the  last  day  of  February  we  began  our  quarterly 
meeting,  which  occupied  two  days.  There  was  not  much  to 
occupy  us  in  the  first  part,  but  when  we  came  to  the  examina- 
tion of  the  female  class-leaders  we  had  three  very  unpleasant 
cases  to  determine.  I  only  mention  these,  however,  as 
illustrations  of  the  difficulties  with  which  I  had  to  contend 
in  those  early  days.  It  appeared  that  some  wine  and  spirits 
from  a  steamer  then  in  the  group  had  been  given  to  three  of 
the  women  at  different  times,  and  it  was  said  that  they  were 
somewhat  intoxicated  afterwards.  After  a  long  and  careful 
examination  it  was  decided  to  suspend  them  from  office  as 
leaders.  I  do  not  think  that  the  wine  was  given  to  these 
women  from  any  bad  motive ;  it  was  simply  an  act  which  the 
givers  thought  to  be  an  expression  of  their  good-nature.  It 
caused  me,  however,  very  great  pain  and  annoyance,  and 
when  our  meeting  was  finished  I  was  quite  weary  and  de- 
pressed. 

The  next  months,  March  and  April,  were  the  most  anxious 
months  I  ever  spent  in  my  life.  Almost  every  one  of  the  few 
white  men  that  were  there  were  very  ill  with  fever,  and  most 
of  the  teachers  and  their  families  also  suffered  in  the  same 
way.  I  sometimes  wonder  as  I  read  the  records  in  my  diary 
how  I  was  able  to  bear  the  strain.  I  often  felt  a  strong 
inclination  to  lie  down  myself,  as  I  also  had  the  symptoms 
of  fever  upon  me  ;  but  I  really  had  not  time  to  do  so  while 
so  much  depended  upon  what  I  was  able  to  do.  I  believe 
the  strong  influence  of  the  mind  over  the  body  prevented  me 
from  giving  way,  and  was  in  some  respects  much  more  beneficial 
than  any  medicine  I  could  have  taken. 

On  Sunday,  March  3,  I  preached  at  Urakukuru.  In  the 
evening,  as  I  was  giving  the  Sacrament,  one  of  Mr.  B.'s  traders 
came  with  a  letter  for  me,  telling  me  that  Camilla,  his  wife, 
was  very  ill,  and  in  a  short  time  he  was  followed  by  another 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       247 

one,  who  came  to  ask  me  to  go  at  once,  as  the  woman  was 
thought  to  be  dying.  I  started  immediately,  but  found  her 
dead  when  I  got  there.  In  the  morning  she  had  taken 
breakfast  with  the  traders,  and  was  to  all  appearance  well, 
but  in  the  evening  she  was  dead.  It  was  a  very  sudden  and 
distressing  affair,  and  I  could  not  determine  what  she  died  of, 
unless  it  was  from  heart  disease.  Her  husband  asked  me  if 
I  thought  she  was  poisoned  by  the  natives.  I  told  him  dis- 
tinctly, no ;  as  I  also  did  when  he  asked  me  if  I  thought 
she  had  poisoned  herself. 

On  Tuesday,  March  5,  I  celebrated  the  first  marriage  in 
the  group.  I  have  often  written  of  Peni  Luvu,  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  band.  He  was  unmarried  when  he  arrived,  and 
as  he  was  most  of  the  time  in  or  about  Duke  of  York  Island 
I  often  took  him  with  me  on  my  journeys.  We  became  very 
much  attached  to  each  other,  and  I  felt  very  glad  indeed  when  I 
found  that  he  and  Lavinia,  the  widow  of  Aminiasi,  had  agreed 
to  marry.  I  little  thought,  however,  that  in  a  few  weeks 
afterwards  the  dear  good  fellow  would  fall  under  the  toma- 
hawks of  the  natives. 

The  next  few  weeks  were  very  anxious  times  indeed  for  us, 
as  all  the  whites  and  large  numbers  of  the  teachers  and  natives 
were  ill.  It  was  most  depressing  to  hear  the  accounts  of  their 
sufferings,  and  the  strain  of  visiting  and  attending  to  their 
wants  was  very  great  indeed.  Most  of  the  traders  had  gathered 
together  at  Mr.  Blohm's  station,  on  Makada,  and  I  often  had 
to  go  over  there  to  visit  them.  The  north-west  winds  were 
very  strong  at  the  time,  and  this  caused  a  heavy  swell  in  the 
harbour,  which  involved  me  several  times  in  considerable  danger. 
I  was  often  called  to  go  over  during  the  night ;  and  as  I  could 
not  get  the  boat  ready  on  such  short  notice,  I  often  ventured 
in  a  native  canoe.  This  was  safe  enough  when  the  sea  was 
calm,  but  on  several  occasions  I  got  caught  in  mid-channel 
in  a  very  heavy  sea.  I  will  give  one  day's  record,  as  an 
illustration  of  the  state  of  affairs  at  that  time. 

On  Monday,  March  18,  Mr.  Y.  sent  over,  asking  me  to  go 


248  GEORGE    BROWN 

at  once  and  see  Mr.  Blohm.  When  I  arrived  at  the  station 
I  found  every  one  of  them  ill.  Mr.  Blohm  was  lying  on 
the  floor  delirious,  and  in  a  state  of  high  fever.  He  was 
unfortunately  talking  in  his  delirium  to  his  dead  wife.  This 
made  it  almost  impossible  for  me  to  get  any  of  my  teachers 
to  remain  with  him,  as  they  were  quite  convinced  that  the 
spirit  of  the  dead  woman  was  present,  and  so  they  were  afraid 
to  remain  in  the  house.  Old  Jack  was  lying  on  a  large  box 
in  the  house,  almost  as  bad  as  Mr.  Blohm,  and  laughing  and 
ridiculing  the  remarks  made  by  the  latter  in  his  delirium.  Mr. 
Y.  was  lying  very  ill  on  a  mat  in  the  corner  of  the  house. 
Going  outside  I  found  Captain  R.  and  the  German  carpenter 
also  very  dangerously  ill,  so  that  not  one  of  the  five  white 
men  was  able  to  make  tea  or  prepare  any  food  whatever. 
This,  of  course,  we  were  able  to  attend  to,  and  made  them  as 
comfortable  as  possible  whilst  I  was  there.  On  my  way  across 
I  saw  a  trader's  boat  coming  in  from  New  Britain  with  the 
flag  half-mast  high,  and  I  at  once  concluded  that  either  his 
wife  or  child  was  dead.  It  proved  to  be  his  wife,  and  I  buried 
her  at  Molot  the  same  evening.  I  find  in  my  diary  only  the 
words  :  "  I  got  home  tired  and  faint  both  in  body  and  spirit "  ; 
but  I  remember  well  that  these  words  expressed  but  very 
imperfectly  the  depression  of  body  and  mind  which  I  then 
felt 

The  next  few  days  contained  the  same  records  of  sickness 
and  our  efforts  to  relieve  the  sufferers.  Mr.  Powell,  Mr.  Wood, 
Mr.  Turner,  and  Mr.  Petherick  rendered  all  the  help  they 
could,  and  some  of  them  often  relieved  us  of  the  strain  of  sitting 
up  night  after  night  to  attend  upon  the  sufferers.  On  March  26 
I  wrote  :  "  Still  more  sickness.  It  is  really  enough  to  frighten 
us  all.  Every  one  seems  to  be  ill,  or  just  recovering.  Misieli, 
wife,  and  child,  are  ill,  the  latter  very  seriously  so  ;  Sositeni  and 
Sieni,  Malaki,  several  of  the  Fijians,  Mr.  Blohm,  old  Jack,  Young, 
Rodd,  and  the  carpenter,  and  many  of  the  natives.  The  season 
seems  to  be  a  most  unhealthy  one."  Many  of  the  patients 
were  not  able  to  be  left  alone  either  by  day  or  night.  The  night 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       249 

previous  to  this  I  had  sat  up  all  night  with  Mr.  Blohm,  and 
in   the   morning    I    decided   that   it  would  be  better  to  bring 
him  over  to  our  own  home,  as   I  could  not  stand  the  strain 
of  visiting  the  island  so  often.     Some  of  the  white  men  in  port 
went  over  in  our  boat  and  we  found  him  very  ill.     They  put 
him  on  a  litter  to  carry  him  to  the  boat.     His  last  act  before 
doing  this  was  to  insist  on  having  his  big  German  pipe  put 
into  his  mouth,  and  he  held  it  there  clenched  between  his  teeth 
when    he   was   brought   on    to   our   verandah.     He   was    quite 
unconscious,  his  eyes  were  fixed  and  staring  wildly,  and  none 
of  us  ever  expected  that  he  would  get  well  again.     It  would 
be   tedious   to    give   the  details  of  these   weary   days  of  pain 
and  depression  ;  but  there  is  an  extract  which  I  think  it  right 
to  transcribe.     On  March  30  I  wrote  :  "  Blohm  seems  a  little 
better  to-day.     Poor  Salelesi    (Misieli's   boy)   died    last   night, 
and  to-day  we   laid  him  beside  his  sister.     Poor  Misieli  and 
Paseta  have  now  lost  both  the  children  they  brought  with  them 
from  Samoa.     We  all  feel  very  sorry  indeed  for  them.     Juliasi 
and   Samuela   are    both    ill   again."      I    remember    this   good 
couple   coming    after    me   from    Samoa,   in    good    health    and 
strength,  and  full  of  love  for  the  people  amongst  whom  they 
laboured.     Paseta  was  one  of  the  first  to  get  the  fever,  but  she 
never  lost  her  cheerful  courage,  and  in  an  hour  after  the  attack 
she  would   be   as  lively  and    cheerful   as   possible.      It  was  a 
great  blow  to  her  and  to  her  husband  when  the  little  girl  they 
had  brought  with  them  from  Samoa  was  taken  away,  and  again 
when  the  bright,  active  boy  who  often  kept  us  full  of  laughter 
by  his  antics  was  also  taken.      Then   I  remember  that  some 
months  afterwards  Misieli  had  to  leave  the  body  of  his  dear 
wife  alongside  the  children  who  had  gone  before,  and  to  return 
to  Samoa  a  solitary  man,  to  continue  there  his  work  for  God 
amongst   his  own   countrymen.      His   father  was   one   of  the 
Rev.  Peter  Turner's  first  converts,  and  was  for  many  years  one 
of  our  most  devoted  and  successful  catechists.      The  story  of 
lives   like    these   is   not   known    upon   earth,   but   is   certainly 
recorded  in  the  archives  of  heaven. 


250  GEORGE    BROWN 

THE   MURDER  OF  OUR   NATIVE  MINISTER,  REV.    SAILASA 
NAUCUKIDI,   AND   THREE   TEACHERS 

This  painful  incident  made  a  great  stir  at  the  time,  and 
at  the  first  my  conduct  in  connection  therewith  evoked  some 
criticism  from  a  few  whose  opinions  were  entitled  to  respect, 
though  I  had  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  opinions 
expressed  by  the  great  majority  of  my  brethren  and  the 
general  public.  After  the  lapse  of  thirty  years  it  is  possible 
to  review  that  chapter  in  my  missionary  life  with  a  judgment 
tempered  by  the  softening  influences  of  age,  and  by  the  know- 
ledge which  has  come  with  the  years  which  have  passed  away 
since  the  event  took  place ;  and  I  am  thankful  to  be  able  to 
say  that,  much  as  I  deplore,  as  I  then  also  did,  the  necessity 
for  the  action  we  took,  I  have  never  questioned  the  wisdom  of 
the  course  we  pursued.  I  can,  I  think,  also  fairly  claim  that 
the  history  of  the  mission  since  those  days  has  fully  justified 
me  in  the  claim  that  I  then  made,  that  the  action  was  absolutely 
forced  upon  us  by  the  conduct  of  the  natives  ;  that  it  was  only 
an  act  of  self-defence,  and  for  the  preservation  of  the  lives  of 
innocent  men,  women,  and  children  ;  and  that,  as  it  quite 
accorded  with  the  sense  of  justice  and  right  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  themselves,  none  of  the  serious  events  which  were 
predicted  would  result,  but  that  the  after  effects,  so  far  from 
being  disastrous,  would,  on  the  contrary,  be  beneficial  both  to 
the  people  and  to  our  mission  amongst  them.  Natives  are 
not  fools ;  they  well  knew  the  cruel  wrong  which  they  had 
committed,  and  were  also  fully  aware  of  the  dangerous  position 
in  which  we  were  placed  in  consequence  of  their  action  ;  and, 
whatever  it  may  have  appeared  to  others,  it  was  to  them  the 
only  possible  way  in  which  we  could  arrest  the  imminent  danger 
to  which  we  were  exposed.  They  were  surprised  at  the 
speediness  of  our  action  and  the  rapidity  of  our  movements ; 
but  they  never  blamed  us  at  the  time,  and  they  have  never 
done  so  since. 

That  some  action  would  be  taken  was  quite  in  accordance 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       251 

with  all  their  own  ideas  of  justice  and  right — and  natives  have 
these  ideas,  whatever  some  people  may  think  to  the  contrary  ; 
but  they  never  expected  that  the  consequences  would  follow 
the  cause  so  quickly.  Their  ideas  were  that  we,  who  were  the 
aggrieved  party,  would  retreat  to  Duke  of  York  Island,  that 
the  rest  of  the  teachers  and  the  few  whites  would  be  at  their 
mercy,  and  that  in  the  meantime  they  would  have  plenty  of 
time  in  which  to  prepare  their  deadly  pit-traps,  and  also  so  to 
set  their  spear-traps  in  every  track  through  the  long  high  grass 
as  to  make  it  extremely  dangerous  for  any  one  to  approach 
any  of  their  villages.  Some  of  us,  however,  knew  these  things 
as  well  as  they  did  ;  and  by  the  promptness  of  our  action  not 
only  were  the  lives  of  the  women  and  children  saved,  but  a 
serious  loss  of  life  was  averted  which  would  certainly  have  been 
incurred  if  any  action  had  been  taken  at  a  later  date.  There 
was  no  time  for  any  combined  resistance,  and  so  only  the  actual 
perpetrators  of  the  massacre  were  dealt  with.  As  we  have 
learned  since,  the  numbers  of  those  who  suffered  was  very 
greatly  overestimated  at  the  time.  When  the  accounts  of  the 
expedition  were  first  published  there  were  all  kinds  of  stories 
from  the  natives,  who  wished  to  acquire  a  character  for  bravery, 
as  to  the  numbers  who  were  killed  ;  but  when  the  matter  was 
officially  investigated,  and  the  witnesses  were  examined  on  oath, 
only  one  man — and  he  was  a  Duke  of  York  native — could 
testify  that  he  had  seen  as  many  as  ten  bodies  during  the 
whole  time,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  expedition. 

I  wish,  however,  to  preface  this  account  with  a  statement 
which  I  trust  my  readers  will  remember,  namely,  that  soon 
after  the  first  of  my  letters  was  written  I  became  fully  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  in  my  desire  to  avoid  the  suspicion  of  any 
attempt  on  my  part  to  shirk  my  full  share  of  responsibility 
for  the  part  which  I  as  an  individual  took  in  the  affair,  I 
assumed  far  more  responsibility  than  I  ought  to  have  done. 
This  was  fully  proved  at  the  judicial  investigation  by  Captain 
Purves  of  H.M.S.  Dance.  The  expedition  would  have  been 
carried  out,  whether  I  went  or  not ;  but  I  held  that  if  the 


252  GEORGE    BROWN 

teachers  went,  as  they  were  firmly  resolved  to  do,  it  was  my  duty 
to  go  with  them  ;  and  I  venture  still  to  think  that,  with  my 
experience  of  native  life  and  character,  my  presence  was  not 
only  a  factor  in  the  success  of  the  expedition,  but  was  also  a 
preventive  against  excesses  which  might  have  been  committed 
in  the  excitement  of  conflict.  This  at  all  events  was  the 
opinion  expressed  by  those  who  investigated  the  matter  from 
time  to  time. 

When  we  held  our  quarterly  meeting  at  the  end  of  March, 
Sailasa,  the  native  minister,  told  me  that  he  had  been  up  inland 
from  Blanche  Bay,  and  had  been  very  kindly  received  by  the 
natives,  and  that  they  all  wished  him  to  go  again.  He  said 
that  a  large  number  of  people  lived  a  short  distance  inland, 
on  a  fine  level  plain,  and  that  they  were  accessible  from  both 
sides  of  the  large  promontory  between  Blanche  Bay  and  Port 
Webber.  He  asked  me  for  a  few  beads  and  other  things  to 
give  to  the  chiefs,  as  a  return  present  for  the  kindness  shown 
to  them  on  their  visit.  These  I  readily  gave  him,  and  I  told 
him  also  that  I  was  going  over  soon  to  New  Britain,  and 
would  also  go  inland  with  them,  or  at  some  other  place  farther 
up  the  coast/ 

I  prepared  for  this  journey,  and  on  April  8  was  all  ready  to 
start  next  morning  at  daylight.  I  was  sitting  in  the  study  at 
night,  engaged  in  skinning  a  bird,  when  I  became  aware  of  one 
of  the  natives  on  the  verandah  looking  in  at  the  window.  I 
looked  up  and  saw  that  it  was  an  old  fellow  called  Kail,  one  of 
whose  accomplishments  was  that  of  cutting  up  the  bodies  of 
men  or  pigs  before  or  after  the  operation  of  cooking  them.  No 
man's  features  are  more  indelibly  fixed  in  my  mind  than  are 
those  of  that  old  man  as  he  looked  in  at  the  window,  and  whilst 
he  never  stopped  chewing  his  betel-nut  said  to  me :  "  Have  you 
heard  the  story  ?  "  To  which  I  replied  :  "  What  story  ?  "  "  Oh," 
he  said,  "  we  have  just  heard  that  the  New  Britain  natives 
have  murdered  Sailasa  and  some  of  the  teachers."  We  had 
heard  hundreds  of  tales  like  that  before,  and  had  paid  but  little 
attention  to  them  ;  but  this  |time  I  felt  a  great  sinking  of  heart 


THE  LATE  SIR  J.  B.  THURSTON  AND  WAWABALAVU,   THE  CHIEF  WHO   MURDERED, 
REV.    THOMAS    BAKER    AND    PARTY. 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       253 

as  soon  as  I  heard  it,  and  felt  assured  that  there  was  some  truth 
in  it,  knowing  as  I  did  that  Sailasa  and  some  of  the  teachers 
had  planned  a  journey  inland.  I  went  and  told  my  wife,  and 
decided  not  to  start  at  daylight,  as  I  originally  intended  to  do, 
but  to  wait  for  further  particulars. 

Next  day,  however,  on  April  9,  Ratu  Livai  arrived  from 
Nodup,  bringing  full  confirmation  of  the  report  we  had  heard. 
He  told  us  that  Sailasa  and  three  teachers  had  gone  inland 
from  Ratavul,  in  response  to  the  invitation  they  had  received 
on  their  first  visit ;  that  he  (Ratu  Livai)  and  three  others  had 
started  from  the  Blanche  Bay  side  of  the  peninsula,  expecting 
to  meet  Sailasa  and  party  inland  ;  that  after  he  and  his  party 
had  gone  some  distance  their  suspicions  were  aroused  that  some 
serious  accident  had  happened,  and  that  they  themselves  were 
in  considerable  danger.  As  they  were  eating  some  food  in  one 
of  the  inland  towns,  Ratu  Livai  heard  the  people  telling  their 
guide  to  advise  the  party  to  sleep  that  night  in  their  village, 
and  not  go  farther  inland.  This  decided  them  to  return  at 
once,  as  it  was  very  clear  to  them  that  the  people  with  whom 
they  were  staying  meant  to  kill  them  at  night.  As  they  had 
strong  suspicions  that  the  guide  also  was  playing  them  false, 
Ratu  Livai  placed  him  in  front,  and  told  him  that  if  he  led 
them  astray,  or  into  any  ambush,  he  himself  would  be  the  first 
to  suffer.  By  this  means  they  regained  the  beach  in  safety, 
and  at  once  went  over  to  Ratavul  to  make  inquiries.  There 
they  found  full  confirmation  of  the  report  which  they  had 
heard,  and  Ratu  Livai  came  over  at  once  to  inform  me. 

As  soon  as  I  heard  his  account  I  started  at  once  for 
Kabakada,  and  reached  that  place  on  the  following  day, 
April  ii.  We  soon  found  our  way  to  Sailasa's  house,  and  I 
well  remember  the  sad  scenes  which  I  witnessed  there.  As 
soon  as  the  widows  and  children  saw  me  they  set  up  a  piteous 
South  Sea  Island  death-wail,  and  began  calling  for  their  dead 
husbands  and  fathers  to  come  back  again  to  them.  I  have 
often  thought  that  when  David  called  out :  "  Oh  Absalom,  my 
son,  my  son,  would  God  I  had  died  for  thee,"  he  really  believed 


254  GEORGE    BROWN 

that  the  spirit  of  Absalom  was  present  and  heard  his  bitter  cry. 
I  am,  at  all  events,  very  sure  that  this  belief  is  entertained  by 
all  natives.  Both  widows  and  children  were  expostulating  with 
the  deceased,  and  asking  why  they  had  left  them.  It  was  little 
use  then  trying  to  speak  trite  words  of  comfort,  and  I  could 
only  sit  a  silent  sharer  of  their  sorrow.  I  well  remember  as  I 
sat  upon  the  bed,  resting  my  elbows  on  my  knees,  and  stopping 
my  ears  to  the  piteous  cries  about  me,  praying  with  great 
earnestness  to  God  that  He  would  give  me  wisdom  sufficient 
for  our  great  need.  I  well  knew  that  amid  this  great  excitement 
some  one  must  keep  cool,  and  I  prayed  for  strength  to  enable 
me  to  do  so.  We  soon  heard  the  many  horrible  accounts  of  the 
murder  of  the  teachers  ;  and  I  could  see  by  the  compressed  lips 
of  the  teachers  who  were  with  me,  and  their  significant,  sullen 
silence,  that  their  feelings  were  deeply  moved.  We  were  told 
also  that  Taleli,  the  reputed  cause  of  the  murder,  had  actually 
come  from  his  own  village  on  the  previous  night  and  proposed 
to  the  chief  of  Kabakada  to  murder  the  widows  and  children 
of  the  native  minister  and  teachers,  and  to  burn  the  house. 
This  story  we  knew  to  be  true,  as  two  of  the  teachers  saw  him 
just  outside  of  the  fence.  I  soon  found  also  that  the  Samoan 
and  Fijian  teachers  had  consulted  together ;  that  they  were 
planning  an  expedition  inland  that  night,  and  were  determined 
to  go  without  telling  me,  for  fear  I  should  prevent  them  doing 
so.  Mr.  Turner  and  Mr.  McGrath,  who  were  with  me,  had 
also  agreed  to  go  with  them.  Such  an  expedition,  I  felt  assured, 
would  be  a  failure,  and  would  probably  cause  further  loss  of  life, 
and  so  I  begged  the  teachers  to  trust  the  matter  with  me.  I 
told  them  that  our  first  duty  was  to  save  the  women  and 
children  ;  that  it  was  no  use  whatever  attempting  to  recover  the 
bodies  of  their  comrades,  as  they  knew  as  well  as  I  did  that 
they  had  long  been  disposed  of.  The  next  morning,  as  I 
wished  to  gain  all  possible  information,  I  sent  a  message  to 
Taleli,  asking  him  to  come  down  and  see  me,  assuring  him  that 
he  would  be  perfectly  safe  in  doing  so.  He  very  definitely 
refused  to  come,  and  sent  me  some  very  significant  messages. 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       255 

One  of  them  was  to  the  effect  that  the  messenger  was  to  tell  me 
that  he  declined  to  come,  but  wished  me  to  know  that  he  had 
not  eaten  all  his  yams  with  the  bodies  of  the  teachers  who 
were  killed,  but  that  he  had  reserved  some  of  them  to  eat  along 
with  me  to  "  kitchen  "  them  with,  and  that  he  meant  to  enjoy 
that  pleasure  at  no  very  distant  date.  The  native  word  he 
used  can  only  be  translated  by  the  Scotch  word  "kitchen," 
meaning  a  relish. 

Next  morning  I  determined  to  remove  all  the  women  and 
children,  and  gave  orders  to  them  to  prepare  to  return  with  us 
at  once  to  Port  Hunter.  I  then  went  up  to  see  Bulilalai,  a 
noted  chief  of  that  part  of  the  island.  He  was  very  fearful 
indeed  of  any  white  man  going  near  him,  as  he  was  accused  of 
causing  the  murder  of  Mr.  Jamieson  the  previous  year.  I  sent 
word,  however,  that  I  would  go  with  one  only  of  the  teachers, 
but  with  no  white  man.  I  wished  to  secure  his  help  and  pro- 
tection if  possible,  but,  if  I  could  not  do  this,  at  least  to  be 
certain  that  he  would  not  join  in  combination  against  us.  We 
went  some  distance  inland,  and  after  many  precautions  had 
been  taken  by  the  natives,  I  was  conducted  to  a  small  house  in 
the  bush  where  the  old  chief  was.  I  sat  down  by  his  side,  told 
him  what  I  had  come  about,  and  reminded  him  that  Peni  (one 
of  the  murdered  teachers)  was  his  own  teacher,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  murder  was  under  his  protection.  The  old  man  told  me 
at  once  that  he  loved  Peni,  that  all  his  people  were  sorrowing 
for  him,  and  finished  by  telling  me,  very  emphatically  and  with 
appropriate  gestures,  that  he  fully  intended  to  eat  Taleli,  the 
chief  who  had  killed  his  teacher.  I  told  him  that  we  could  not 
allow  any  cannibalism,  as  it  was  not  our  custom  to  eat  men,  and 
that  it  was  very  wrong  to  do  so.  He  looked  at  me  in  a  way 
which  seemed  at  once  to  express  surprise  at  our  conduct  and 
pity  for  our  folly  with  regard  to  this  matter,  but  declared 
himself  quite  ready  to  help  us.  I  slept  at  Mr.  Southwell's  that 
evening. 

I  made  many  inquiries  as  to  the  reasons  which  prompted 
the  massacre,  and  the  way  in  which  it  was  carried  out,  but  it 


256  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  very  difficult  to  get  trustworthy  information.  The  only 
reason  we  could  find  was  that  Taleli  was  jealous  of  the 
teachers  going  inland,  as  he  feared  that  by  their  means  articles 
of  trade  would  be  carried  to  the  people  in  the  inland  villages, 
who  had  hitherto  been  able  to  obtain  them  only  from  him. 
fThen  he  knew  that  the  teachers  were  unarmed,  and  that  any 
attack  'upon  them  would  not  only  be  comparatively  safe,  but 
would  also  be  profitable  to  the  assailants,  as  they  would  be 
able  to  sell  portions  of  the  dead  bodies  to  surrounding  villages 
for  native  money.  The  general  information  was  that  the 
teachers  were  suddenly  attacked  as  they  were  going  through 
the  long  grass  ;  that  Timoti  was  the  first  one  to  be  killed  by 
a  spear  thrust,  and  that  the  rest  were  killed  without  much 
apparent  resistance.  Peni  Luvu,  however,  was  a  very  powerful 
young  man,  and  from  all  that  we  heard  he  defended  himself 
with  great  courage,  and  ultimately  made  his  escape  from  his 
assailants,  and  succeeded  in  making  his  way  down  to  Taleli's 
village,  where  he  thought  himself  to  be  perfectly  safe,  as  we  all 
at  that  time  regarded  that  chief  as  being  very  friendly  towards 
us.  The  poor  fellow  was  exhausted  with  his  struggle,  and 
asked  for  some  water  to  drink.  A  cocoanut  was  brought  to 
him,  and  we  were  told  that  as  his  head  was  thrown  back  in  the 
act  of  drinking,  Taleli  nearly  severed  his  head  with  one  cut  of 
the  large  knives  used  by  the  natives  for  cutting  and  clearing 
I  the  scrub. 

On  Saturday,  April  13,  we  returned  to  Port  Hunter,  and 
had  to  decide  what  course  to  pursue.  I  called  a  meeting  of  the 
few  white  residents  who  were  on  Duke  of  York,  together  with 
the  teachers  and  some  of  the  chiefs,  and  found  that  they  were 
unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  only  possible  way  to  pre- 
vent a  further  sacrifice  of  life  was  to  make  a  demonstration 
against  the  people  in  those  villages  where  the  massacre  had 
been  committed.  It  was  felt  by  all  that  the  lives  of  the  teachers 
and  their  families  who  were  still  on  New  Britain  were  in 
imminent  danger,  as  well  as  those  of  the  traders.  There  was 
naturally  great  excitement  amongst  the  natives  at  the  success 


SECOND   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE       257 

which  they  had  achieved,  and  it  was  absolutely  certain  that 
none  of  the  remaining  families  would  escape.  Mr.  Powell,  I 
find,  in  his  book,  Wanderings  in  a  Wild  Country,  expresses  this 
opinion  very  decidedly,  and  states  that  it  was  quite  apparent 
to  all  that  "  if  we  wished  to  save  our  lives  we  must  either  fight, 
and  fight  well,  or  withdraw  altogether  from  these  islands  at 
once.  As  this  latter  plan  was  impossible,  the  former  was  the 
only  alternative,  and  Mr.  Brown  at  last  was  obliged  unwillingly 
to  admit  that  it  must  be  so." 

The  reasons,  however,  which  principally  influenced  my 
decision  were:  (i)  The  fact  that  the  teachers  themselves  were 
actually  preparing  to  go,  and  that  they  all  said  that  life  was  no 
longer  safe  in  any  of  the  towns,  nor  was  the  mission  work 
practicable,  if  these  murderers  were  not  punished.  (2)  The  few 
whites  here  also  assured  me  that  unless  something  was  done, 
their  lives  were  no  longer  safe.  They  volunteered  their  help, 
and  urged  immediate  action.  Taleli,  who  is  said  to  have 
ordered  the  massacre,  had  previously  attempted  the  life  of  Mr. 
Hicks,  a  trader  at  Matupit ;  the  cook  of  the  barque  Johan 
Casar  had  also  a  very  narrow  escape  from  him  ;  and  very 
recently  he  attempted  to  capture  the  Franziska  schooner. 
Since  the  murder  also  he  had  sent  some  very  insulting  messages 
to  the  whites.  (3)  My  own  convictions  also  were  that  these 
murders  would  soon  be  followed  by  others,  and  that  prompt 
action  was  necessary  in  order  to  protect  the  lives  of  those 
who  remained,  and  to  prevent  any  recurrence  of  such  a  crime. 
(4)  On  carefully  considering  the  matter,  I  felt  also  that  any 
such  single-handed  attack  on  our  part  as  that  proposed  by 
the  teachers  and  others  would  probably  fail,  or,  if  partially 
successful,  would  be  ill-advised,  as  it  would  place  us  few 
foreigners  in  seeming  opposition  to  all  the  natives.  The  matter, 
I  felt,  concerned  the  people  as  v.ell  as  ourselves.  The  people 
of  the  towns  in  which  the  teachers  had  been  stationed  regarded 
the  action  of  Taleli  and  his  party  in  murdering  their  teachers  as 
an  insult  and  an  injury  to  them,  and  were  determined  to  resent 
it,  and  would  certainly  have  done  so  in  their  own  native  fashion. 

17 


258  GEORGE    BROWN 

They  were  quite  prepared,  however,  to  co-operate  with  us  ;  and 
I  determined  that  as  some  action  was  unavoidable,  even  if  not 
desirable,  it  was  the  best  plan  to  enlist  the  sympathies  and 
help  of  all  the  well-disposed  natives  on  our  side,  rather  than  to 
array  them  against  us ;  and  to  let  the  punishment  of  the 
murderers  come  from  the  natives  as  much  as  from  us.  The 
murder  of  Sailasa  and  the  teachers,  it  must  be  always 
remembered,  was  not  in  any  way  connected  with  their  position 
as  Christian  teachers,  nor  was  it  caused  by  any  feelings  of 
enmity  against  the  lotu.  They  were  killed  simply  because  they 
were  foreigners,  and  the  natives  who  killed  them  did  so  for  no 
other  reason  than  their  desire  to  eat  them,  and  to  get  the  little 
property  they  had  with  them. 

To  say  that  I  felt  deeply  the  responsibility  of  my  position  is 
to  say  but  little.  During  those  dreadful  months,  in  which  nearly 
every  one  around  us  was  struck  down  with  fever,  I  had  felt 
much  our  solitary  position  ;  but  it  never  came  upon  me  with 
such  force  as  it  did  at  this  time.  I  knew  in  this  instance  that  I 
should  be  held  principally  accountable  for  the  action  we  were 
about  to  take,  and  that  if  we  failed,  or  if  any  more  of  the 
teachers  were  killed,  on  me  would  rest  the  blame.  I  knew  also 
that  I  had  no  precedent  to  guide  me,  and  that  many  good 
people,  whose  opinions  I  respected,  and  whose  esteem  I  valued, 
would  probably  condemn  our  action  as  judged  from  their 
standpoint.  These,  and  many  other  points,  were  carefully 
considered  ;  but  the  conviction  was  forced  upon  me  that  the 
opinions  of  the  foreign  residents  and  of  the  teachers  were 
correct,  and  that  we  must  take  some  action  for  the  protection 
of  our  own  lives  and  the  lives  of  the  innocent  men,  women,  and 
children  who  were  dependent  upon  us. 

After  arriving  at  this  decision,  we  determined  to  carry  it 
out  as  speedily  and  as  effectually  as  possible,  always  bearing 
in  mind  that  we  must  so  act  that  our  conduct  would  bear 
judicial  investigation  at  any  future  time.  We  determined,  with 
the  help  of  the  natives,  to  start  from  both  sides  of  the  pro- 
montory whilst  the  event  was  quite  recent,  and  before  the 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       259 

natives  expected  us  to  take  any  action.  They  thought  only  of 
punishment  when  a  big  ship  came ;  but  we  determined  to  start 
as  soon  as  we  could  get  ready,  and,  leaving  all  the  coast  towns 
in  ignorance,  to  push  on  at  once  to  the  very  towns  where  the 
teachers  were  murdered,  and  where  the  people  never  dreamt 
that  a  white  man  or  a  foreigner  would  dare  to  go  again. 

In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  we  left  Port  Hunter  for  New 
Britain  on  Tuesday,  April  16,  just  eight  days  after  hearing 
of  the  murders.  Our  company  consisted  of  Mr.  Powell,  of 
the  ketch  Star  of  the  East,  Mr.  Turner,  Mr.  McGrath,  the 
teachers,  and  myself.  A  boat  from  Messrs.  Goddefroy's  station 
at  Port  Wesley,  with  native  crew,  in  charge  of  J.  Knowles,  a 
half-caste  trader  there,  also  accompanied  us,  and  Mr.  Blohm 
promised  to  follow  us  next  day,  which  he  did.  At  Nodup 
we  met  with  Mr.  Hicks,  from  Matupit,  and  held  a  consultation 
with  Tobula  and  Tolituru,  our  chiefs  there.  We  decided  to 
divide  our  party,  and  agreed  that  Mr.  Hicks  should  take  the 
leadership  of  one  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Powell,  Turner, 
McGrath,  Knowles,  ten  Fijian  and  four  Samoan  teachers, 
with  the  natives  from  Nodup,  Matupit,  and  Malakuna,  whilst 
Mr.  Blohm,  Mr.  Young,  and  myself,  with  one  Samoan  teacher, 
should  go  round  to  the  north  coast  and  take  charge  of  the 
natives  there.  We  all  left  at  noon  for  our  respective  stations. 

The  Blanche  Bay  party  slept  at  Matupit  that  night,  and 
we  who  constituted  the  north-coast  party  slept  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Southwell,  at  Kabakada.  I  instructed  the  teachers  to 
remain  in  the  boats  all  night,  to  keep  watch,  and  to  take  special 
care  that  the  boats  were  kept  afloat.  In  the  morning  before 
daylight  Aminio  came  to  me  and  said  :  "  You  had  better  take 
care,  sir,  for  we  are  sure  that  there  is  treachery  on  the  part 
of  the  natives  who  promised  to  assist  us.  As  we  were  on 
watch  last  night,  we  saw  pigs  and  large  quantities  of  divvara 
(native  money)  being  carried  past,  and  we  feel  certain  that 
Taleli  has  been  paying  Bulilalai  not  to  help  us."  I  was  very 
glad  indeed  to  receive  this  warning,  and  as  subsequent  events 
showed,  it  probably  saved  us  from  serious  loss.  We  started  by 


26o  GEORGE    BROWN 

daylight  for  Taleli's  village,  as  had  been  previously  arranged. 
On  our  way  we  saw  that  all  the  men  from  Bulilalai's  villages 
were  coming  along  the  open  beach,  instead  of  going  into  the 
bush  by  an  inland  path  as  they  had  agreed  to  do,  and  this 
conduct  increased  our  suspicions  of  them.  We  had  therefore 
to  act  very  cautiously  indeed,  as  we  were  only  three  white 
men  (one  of  them  very  unwell)  and  one  Samoan  amongst 
four  or  five  hundred  natives,  our  native  crews  being  of  very 
little  use  if  we  were  hard  pressed.  We  pulled  very  close  in 
to  the  shore  and  found  that  our  supposed  allies  did  not  attempt 
to  do  any  damage  to  Taleli's  house,  or  commence  to  look  after 
him  in  any  way.  WTe  went  as  close  as  possible  to  the  beach 
and  told  them  to  go  inland  as  agreed  upon,  but  the  chiefs 
called  out  to  us  to  go  on  shore.  We  were  quite  willing  to 
do  this  as  soon  as  they  commenced  any  operations,  but  we 
were  very  unwilling  to  trust  ourselves  with  them  before  they 
had  clearly  made  known  which  side  they  intended  to  take. 
I  had  a  conversation  with  the  chiefs,  but  we  all  had  some 
serious  doubts  as  to  their  intentions.  They  kept  their  faces 
towards  us,  but  we  had  a  very  decided  impression  that  whilst 
doing  this  they  were  speaking  also  to  some  people  behind 
them.  One  of  our  party  was  ill  with  fever,  and  was  resting 
his  head  on  the  gunwale  of  the  boat.  Whilst  doing  so  he 
called  out :  "  I  can  see  a  lot  of  people  behind  the  fence  of 
Taleli's  house."  Subsequent  events  proved  that  our  suspicions 
were  well  founded,  and  that  up  to  that  point  Taleli's  party 
were  actually  lying  there,  whilst  our  supposed  allies  were 
doing  their  best  to  get  us  on  shore.  If  they  had  succeeded 
in  this  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  they  would  all 
have  joined  forces  against  us.  We  found  when  we  landed 
later  in  the  day  that  our  allies  had  put  dracaena  leaves  on 
Taleli's  house,  thus  making  it  sacred  and  secure  from  damage 
by  any  of  their  people.  We  also  found  the  grass  all  trampled 
down  behind  the  fence,  showing  that  a  large  body  of  natives 
had  been  there. 

Whilst  we  were  talking  to  the  natives  on  the  beach,  a  number 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       261 

of  canoes  came  from  some  adjoining  villages  and  encircled 
us  from  seaward,  so  that  our  position  was  this.  We  were 
lying  off  the  beach  in  two  boats,  Mr.  Blohm  and  Mr.  Young 
in  one,  and  a  teacher  and  myself  in  the  other.  On  the  beach 
were  about  five  hundred  natives  professedly  friendly,  but  whose 
actions  were  most  suspicious,  refusing  to  go  into  the  bush, 
or  to  do  any  damage  which  might  commit  them  with  the 
other  party.  Behind  us  were  some  forty  canoes,  containing 
from  four  to  eight  men  each,  which  were  gradually  approaching 
us  from  the  sea.  We  pulled  out  and  asked  them  what  they 
meant,  and  they  told  us  they  had  come  to  market.  I  replied 
that  there  would  be  no  market  that  day,  and  strongly  advised 
them  to  go  home  quietly.  This  they  promised  to  do,  but 
almost  as  soon  as  we  went  back  they  returned  to  their 
former  position,  and  were  gradually  drawing  nearer  to  us. 
Mr.  Blohm  and  the  natives  repeatedly  pointed  out  the 
dangerous  position  we  were  in,  especially  with  regard  to 
those  canoes,  and  at  last  we  determined  to  drive  them  away, 
which  we  did ;  and  in  about  half  an  hour  there  was  not 
a  canoe  to  be  seen.  Only  two  ,men  were  wounded,  and  as 
they  were  found  out  afterwards  to  belong  to  a  town  which 
was  ostensibly  friendly,  I  paid  the  wounded  men  so  liberally 
that  I  think  every  man  in  the  canoe  was  sorry  that  he  had 
not  been  wounded  also  ! 

This  action  of  ours  in  clearing  off  the  canoes  in  so  short 
a  time  had  a  very  convincing  effect  upon  our  native  friends 
on  the  beach,  and  they  decided  to  join  us,  in  accordance  with 
their  promise.  They  at  once  went  into  the  bush  and  fought 
Taleli's  people.  As  soon  as  we  returned  from  chasing  the 
canoes  we  landed  at  Taleli's  house,  and  our  crews  burnt  it, 
and  destroyed  his  canoe,  after  which  we  lay  at  our  anchors 
close  in-shore  all  day,  waiting  for  the  Blanche  Bay  party 
to  come  down,  as  we  could  see  by  the  smoke  on  the  hills 
that  they  were  successful,  and,  as  we  then  thought,  were  working 
down  towards  us.  I  had  given  a  rocket  to  the  party,  asking 
them  to  fire  it  if  they  decided  to  sleep  inland,  and  we  waited 


262  GEORGE    BROWN 

for  this  until  long  after  sunset.  We  slept  that  night  at  Nodup, 
and  came  back  again  the  next  day,  Friday,  and  stayed  until 
Saturday,  when  I  received  a  note  from  Mr.  Powell  telling 
me  that  they  had  returned  to  Matupit,  and  were  waiting 
for  us  there.  We  started  at  once,  and  reached  the  island 
during  the  night,  and  were  glad  indeed  to  find  them  all  safe  and 
well  after  an  arduous  but  successful  expedition.  We  ourselves 
had  not  done  much  on  the  north  coast  except,  perhaps,  impress 
the  natives  with  the  fact  that,  few  in  number  as  we  were,  we 
maintained  our  position  with  an  absolute  disregard  of  the 
large  numbers  who  were  opposed  to  us.  We  had  only  two 
whale-boats,  and  yet  we  were  able  to  clear  the  bay  of  hostile 
canoes  in  a  very  short  space  of  time,  and  we  lay  quietly  at 
our  anchors  within  a  few  yards  of  the  beach  for  three  days, 
though  there  were  many  hundreds  of  natives  close  to  it  who 
were  ready  and  anxious  to  injure  us.  I  am  sure  that  the 
sight  of  such  a  small  number  of  us  remaining  in  those  two 
boats  for  several  days,  apparently  quite  unconcerned  at  the 
number  of  those  opposed  to  us,  produced  a  great  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  people,  for  they  often  mentioned  the 
matter  to  me  in  after  years. 

On  reaching  Matupit  I  got  from  Mr.  Powell  an  account  of 
their  expedition.  They  started  from  Matupit  soon  after  mid- 
night on  Wednesday,  landed  on  the  mainland,  travelled  by  the 
moonlight,  and  before  dawn  were  well  up  the  first  range.  Here 
they  rested  and  waited  for  the  dawn.  All  the  natives  had  very 
strict  orders  about  cannibalism,  or  any  mutilating  of  the  dead, 
and  also  against  injuring  any  women  or  children.  The  natives 
themselves  have  very  little  compassion  on  women,  and  state 
that  they  are  worse  cannibals  than  the  men,  and  are  always 
the  most  active  in  urging  on  a  fight,  and  in  mutilating  the  dead 
afterwards.  This  I  fully  believe  from  all  that  I  have  seen  and 
heard.  There  were  no  large  towns  there,  but  every  family  lived 
in  its  own  little  enclosure.  The  houses  were  not  large,  and  in 
most  instances  were  merely  huts  which  could  be  put  up  again 
in  a  day  or  two.  All  that  were  seen  were  burnt,  and  some 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       263 

of  the  murderers  were  killed.  The  sea  side  of  the  range  was 
very  steep,  and  in  many  places  the  party  had  actually  to  climb. 
On  the  top  was  a  fine  level  plateau  of  open  country,  dotted 
over  with  clumps  of  trees  and  cocoanut  palms.  On  the  march 
one  of  the  dangers  to  be  guarded  against  was  that  of  falling 
into  the  pit-traps  which  are  generally  employed  in  native 
warfare.  These  pits  are  very  cleverly  made,  generally  on  one 
side,  or  at  some  sharp  angle  of  the  track.  Spear  points, 
or  pieces  of  pointed  bamboo,  are  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pit,  and  the  top  is  very  carefully  concealed  by  grass  and  leaves 
placed  so  naturally  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  see  that 
they  do  not  form  part  of  the  original  covering.  The  guides, 
and  those  in  the  van,  all  carried  long  pointed  sticks  to  probe 
for  these  pits ;  but  ,  the  natives  never  imagined  that  we  would 
venture  inland  so  soon,  and  so  no  pits  had  been  prepared. 
Another  method  of  warfare  used  by  these  people  is  to  conceal 
two  spears  in  the  high  grass  on  each  side  of  the  track.  One 
end  of  each  spear  is  set  firmly  in  the  ground,  whilst  the  sharp 
points  are  placed  at  a  proper  angle  towards  the  direction  from 
which  the  assailants  are  expected.  These  spears  are  then 
connected  by  a  cord,  which  is  stretched  across  the  track.  If 
any  one  should  press  against  this  line  hurriedly,  as  in  running 
or  fast  walking,  the  forward  pressure  draws  the  two  spear 
points  into  his  body.  None  of  these  traps,  however,  were  found. 
With  the  exception  of  a  determined  attack  made  at  noon, 
whilst  our  people  were  at  dinner,  there  was  no  attempt  at 
united  resistance.  This  attack  was  made  principally  by  means 
of  sling  and  stone,  though  these  were  accompanied  by  some 
rifle  shots  from  weapons  which  had  been  purchased  by  them 
from  the  traders.  The  sling,  however,  was  the  most  effective 
weapon,  and  some  of  the  stones  came  with  very  great  force 
about  the  heads  of  our  people,  and  caused  a  general  rush  for 
cover  on  the  part  of  the  native  contingent.  After  repelling 
this  attack  nothing  more  was  done  except  in  the  preparation 
of  a  camp,  in  which  they  all  slept  in  the  bush  that  night — 
another  proof  to  the  bushrnen  that  they  were  now  dealing  witfy 


264  GEORGE    BROWN 

a  different  people  to  their  own  coast  people,  who  would  never 
dream  of  sleeping  inland  all  night.  Next  morning  (Friday) 
they  were  early  astir,  and  after  burning  some  other  huts 
farther  inland,  and  more  to  the  eastward,  they  returned  to  the 
beach,  and  burnt  the  town  of  Karavia,  as  the  natives  there  were 
clearly  proved  to  have  been  implicated  in  the  affair.  They 
then  returned  to  Matupit,  where  we  found  them,  as  I  have 
before  mentioned. 

On  Sunday,  2ist  (next  day),  I  sent  out  and  tried  to  secure 
the  bones  of  the  murdered  teachers,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
some  belonging  to  Sailasa  and  Timote.  We  consulted  as  to 
what  course  we  ought  to  pursue.  Many  of  us  thought  that 
quite  enough  had  been  done ;  but  it  was  shown  clearly  that 
though  the  natives  who  had  suffered  were  all  implicated  in 
the  murder,  yet  the  town  where  the  men  were  actually  killed 
had  as  yet  escaped,  and  it  was  not  thought  well  to  let  that 
go  free.  We  decided  to  visit  the  place  on  Tuesday.  On 
Monday  two  towns  sent  in  some  diwara,  as  a  peace-offering 
for  having  joined  in  the  cannibalism.  I  was  glad  to  receive 
it,  and  sent  back  a  kindly  message.  On  Tuesday  we  started 
at  dawn,  and  landed  between  Karavia  and  Diwaon  soon  after 
sunrise.  Our  party  were  soon  on  their  way  up  the  hill ;  Mr. 
Blohm,  Mr.  Hicks,  Mr.  Young,  and  myself,  taking  charge  of 
the  boats  and  the  shore  party.  We  watched  our  people 
climbing  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  coast  range,  and  afterwards 
could  follow  their  progress  by  the  smoke  of  the  huts  which 
they  fired.  We  soon  saw  that  they  were  in  the  very  town 
where  our  comrades  had  been  killed.  Whilst  this  party  was 
inland  I  received  a  message  from  Karavia,  the  coast  town  burnt 
on  Friday,  asking  me  to  go  up,  as  they  wished  to  make  friends 
with  me  again.  We  went  at  once,  and  I  received  a  present 
of  betel  nuts,  cocoanuts,  bananas,  etc.,  and  a  roll  of  about  fifty 
fathoms  of  diwara  (shell  money).  I  sat  down  amongst  them, 
and  told  them  how  sorry  we  were  that  this  had  happened. 
I  assured  them  that  we  never  wished  to  fight,  reminded  them 
how  often  they  had  stolen  from  us,  and  how  they  had  previously 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       265 

attempted  to  kill  the  teachers,  but  that  we  had  never  resented 
their  conduct  or  tried  to  injure  them.  I  told  them  that  we 
fought  now  not  to  avenge  the  teachers,  but  because  our  own 
lives  were  in  danger.  They  acknowledged  the  truth  of  all  this, 
and  said :  "  'Tis  true,  'tis  all  true ;  we  were  the  first,  we  were 
the  first ;  we  began  it,  not  you."  I  accepted  their  offering,  gave 
a  few  little  presents  in  return,  and  told  them  that  we  would 
make  a  formal  peace  according  to  their  own  customs  in  a 
few  days.  I  then  took  two  pieces  of  cord,  and  made  a 
number  of  knots  on  each  cord.  One  of  them  I  gave  to  the 
chief,  and  retained  the  other  myself.  We  were  each  sup- 
posed to  cut  off  one  knot  each  night,  and  when  all  were 
finished  I  was  to  return  to  complete  the  peace  arrangements. 
This  pleased  them  very  much,  as  it  was  evidently  regarded 
as  a  proof  of  our  sincerity.  In  the  bush  town  several  burnt 
and  charred  bones,  and  some  little  things  belonging  to  the 
teachers,  were  recovered,  thus  proving  that  no  mistake  had 
been  made. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  Diwaon,  where  the  body  of 
Sailasa  had  been  eaten  ;  and  as  they  had  not  sent  in  any  diwara 
as  an  acknowledgment  of  their  offence  in  participating  in  the 
massacre,  as  they  had  been  warned  to  do,  most  of  the  huts 
were  destroyed.  A  woman  was  brought  down  by  Aminio,  and 
she  told  us  they  had  eaten  one  whole  body,  that  of  Sailasa, 
the  native  minister.  We  reached  Matupit  again  at  8  p.m., 
and  next  day  (Wednesday)  we  returned  home.  Not  a  single 
one  of  our  party  was  wounded,  though  Selalete,  a  Samoan 
teacher,  was  once  in  very  great  danger. 

Peace  making  was  effected  very  rapidly.  The  next  week 
after  our  return  I  visited  the  north  coast,  and  on  Wednesday, 
May  8, 1  went  in  the  whale-boat  to  Kininigunan,  on  New  Britain, 
stayed  there  two  or  three  days,  and  on  Saturday  went  to 
Raluana  and  Barawon,  the  two  towns  which  sent  in  shell  money 
as  payment  for  their  cannibalism.  We  did  not  stay  at  these 
villages,  but  left  word  that  we  would  call  on  our  return.  We 
then  went  on  to  Diwaon,  and  landed  at  one  end  of  the  town  ; 


266  GEORGE    BROWN 

but  there  were  no  natives  to  be  seen.  I  sent  up  a  friendly 
chief  to  them,  but  they  were  all  so  frightened  of  treachery 
that  they  were  afraid  to  come  down.  I  was  determined 
to  see  them  and  convince  them  of  our  desire  to  be  friends, 
and  so  we  sat  for  several  hours  on  the  beach  waiting  for 
them,  and  sending  messages  urging  them  to  come.  Our 
crew,  and  others,  urged  me  to  go ;  but  I  refused,  and  still 
waited  on,  until  at  last  they  came.  Two  of  the  chiefs  brought 
diwara  as  payment,  and  an  expression  of  friendship.  I  spoke 
to  them  very  kindly,  explained  our  position  fully,  and  made 
them  well  pleased  and  satisfied  of  our  goodwill  towards  them 
by  accepting  the  diwara,  and  giving  them  a  good  present  in 
return. 

We  then  went  on  to  Karavia,  where  we  found  a  great 
number  of  people  waiting  for  us,  as  I  had  sent  several  times 
telling  them  that  we  were  coming  to  make  friends  with  them 
again.  Amongst  the  crowd  was  one  of  the  chiefs  from  the 
town  where  Sailasa  and  the  teachers  were  killed.  He  had 
sent  down  diwara,  and  asked  to  be  forgiven  ;  so  they  sent  up 
to  him  to  come  down  and  meet  me.  Poor  fellow,  I  am  sure 
he  never  spent  such  an  anxious  hour  in  his  life  as  he  did  that 
day.  He  was  surrounded  by  Karavia  natives,  ostensibly  his 
friends,  but  he  evidently  felt  that  they  were  no  protection  to 
him.  I  sat  down  just  in  front  of  him,  as  I  wished  to  gain  his 
confidence,  and  to  make  him  feel  that  we  really  forgave  the  past. 
At  first  he  evidently  wished  that  I  would  choose  a  seat  a  little 
farther  away  from  him,  but  afterwards  he  got  more  at  ease, 
though  he  still  watched  every  movement.  I  accepted  his 
present,  and  those  of  the  other  chiefs,  and  then,  in  accordance 
with  their  custom,  I  made  them  a  return  present  as  a  token 
of  good-will.  I  then  rose  and  spoke  to  them  all,  reviewing  our 
conduct  from  the  commencement  of  the  Mission,  and  reminding 
them  of  our  many  acts  of  kindness  to  them.  I  assured  them 
that  we  fully  forgave  them,  and  that  the  past  should  be  all 
forgotten,  and  that  we  would  be  good  friends  again.  They 
assented  to  all  I  said,  expressed  sorrow  for  what  was  done,  and 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       267 

begged   to   have   a   teacher  stationed   with  them,   to  which    I 
agreed. 

This  reconciliation  was  made  in  strict  accordance  with  all 
their  own  native  customs.     We  sat  down  opposite  to  each  other, 
the  Karavia  people  on  one  side  of  the  open  space  in  the  village 
and  our  party  on  the  other.     They  then  brought  in  a  lot  of 
cooked  food,  and  we   also  did  the  same,  having  taken  it  for 
that  purpose.     A  man  from  the  town  then  mixed  all  the  food 
together  in  one  large  heap,  from  which,  at  the  proper  time, 
we  were  all  to  eat  together.     This  was  done  to  show  that  there 
was  no  poison  or  any  magic  spell  in  the  food  brought  by  either 
party.     Then  the  Karavia  people  brought  diwara  as  "  payment " 
for  the  wrong  which  they  had  committed.     I  accepted  this,  but 
soon  returned  most  of  it  to  the  people.   We  all  then  rose  up  and 
walked  round  the  pile  of  food,  each  party  finally  sitting  down 
in  the  opposite  place  to  that  in  which  they  were  first  sitting. 
After  this  we  all  ate  together  from  the  one  heap  of  food,  and  as 
they  had  now  made  all  possible  atonement  I  made  them  a  sub- 
stantial present,  far  exceeding  in  value  that  of  the  diwara  which 
they  had  given  as  "  payment "  ;  and  so  we  became  friends  again, 
and  a  peace  was  made  which  has  never  since  been  broken. 
I  then  tried  to  get  from  the  bush  chief  the  particulars  of  the 
murders,  but  soon  found  out  that  I  could  not  depend  on  what 
he  said,  and  that  it  was  not  wise  to  press  my  inquiries  just 
then,  as  it  would  only  arouse  his  fears.     We  were   told   that 
Taleli  had  sent  messengers  after  the  teachers,  telling  the  bush- 
men  to  kill  them.      The  natives   from  the   town  where   they 
slept  followed  them  and  continued  calling,  as  they  went  along 
the  road,  to  other  natives,  who  were  working  on  their  planta- 
tions, to  join  them,  until  they  got  a  large  number  collected, 
when  they  were  able  to  attack  them  and  overpower  them  at 
once.     The   teachers   did   not   appear   to   have   had   any  sus- 
picions, and  were  taken  quite   unawares.     On   our   way  home 
we    called   at   Diwaon   and   Barawon,   and    made    peace   with 
them  also. 

As  to  the  results  of  the  expedition,  it  is  with  some  satisfac- 


268  GEORGE    BROWN 

tion  that  after  the  lapse  of  thirty  years  from  the  date  of  the 
occurrence  I  can  reproduce — with  one  slight  correction  only 
as  to  the  'probable  number  of  those  who  were  killed,  which 
we  found  to  be  grossly  exaggerated — the  statement  which  I 
made  at  the  time  as  to  the  justice  of  our  action  and  as  to  its 
probable  results.  In  my  letter  to  the  General  Secretary  of  our 
Missionary  Society,  written  just  after  the  occurrence,  I  said  : 
"  The  effect,  I  am  certain,  has  been  most  beneficial,  and  in 
this  conviction  all  the  foreign  residents  here  concur.  I  am 
certain  that  our  Mission  here  stands  better  with  the  natives 
than  it  did  before,  and  that  we  are  in  a  better  position  to  do 
them  good.  They  respect  us  more  than  they  did,  and  as  they 
all  acknowledge  the  justice  of  our  cause  they  bear  us  no  ill-will. 
Human  life  is  safe  here  now  for  many  years  to  come.  I  can 
locate  teachers  in  the  very  towns  which  suffered  the  most,  and 
they  will  be  well  received,  not  because  they  fear  us,  but  because 
they  feel  it  to  be  the  best  thing  for  them.  We  have  had  several 
proofs  since,  both  from  New  Ireland  and  other  places,  that 
other  lives  would  have  been  sacrificed  if  no  action  had  been 
taken  by  us.  On  looking  back  now,  some  weeks  afterwards, 
when  our  feelings  are  not  excited  as  they  were  when  we  first 
heard  of  the  sad  affair,  and  considering  quietly  and  calmly  the 
past  events,  I  honestly  believe  that  the  plan  I  adopted  was 
the  best,  and  was,  in  fact,  the  only  one  which  could  have  saved 
the  Mission  and  many  of  our  lives.  It  is  true  that  some  lives 
have  been  lost ;  but  the  present  and  future  good  of  thousands 
will  far  outbalance  that.  This  has  been  no  unprovoked  shoot- 
ing of  natives,  nor  was  it  anything  like  an  attempt  to  force  a 
way  into  their  country  by  force  of  arms.  They  murdered  the 
teachers  whilst  friendly  with  them,  and  whilst  knowing  them 
to  be  men  of  peace.  Ours  was  an  honourably  conducted  war 
in  conjunction  with  the  natives  themselves,  one  which  was  forced 
upon  us  to  save  our  own  lives,  and  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of 
any  such  barbarities.  I  yield  to  none  in  love  for  the  natives 
and  in  earnest  desire  to  do  them  good  ;  but  to  have  allowed 
such  an  act  to  pass  unpunished  would  have  been  not  only 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       269 

suicidal  on  our  part,  but  also  an  act  of  unkindness  to  them. 
There  is  not  a  native  in  the  group  who  does  not  acknow- 
ledge that  we  did  right,  and  that  no  other  resource  was  left 
us.  We  made  peace  with  all  but  Taleli  in  a  few  days,  and, 
as  I  said  before,  we  stand  in  a  better  position  than  we  did 
before." 

Messrs.  Powell,  Wood,  and  Turner  of  the  ketch  Star  of  the 
East ;  Messrs.  Blohm  and  Young,  from  Messrs.  Hernsheim's 
establishment ;  and  Messrs.  Hicks,  Pethrick,  and  Knowles,  from 
Messrs.  Goddefroy's,  and  Mr.  McGrath,  all  rendered  valuable 
service  as  volunteers ;  and  Messrs.  Brunow,  Southwell,  and 
Woodward  entertained  us  very  hospitably,  and  gave  us  every 
assistance  whilst  we  were  on  the  north  coast.  Soon  after  our 
return  I  received  the  following  letter  of  thanks : 

"PORT  HUNTER,  DUKE  OF  YORK  ISLAND, 
"May  28,  1878. 

"To  THE  REV.  GEORGE  BROWN, — 

"  We,  the  undersigned  traders  and  foreign  residents 
residing  in  New  Britain  and  Duke  of  York  Group,  desire  to 
express  our  thanks  and  approval  of  your  energetic  and  prompt 
action  with  regard  to  the  cold-blooded  and  unprovoked  murder 
of  the  native  Fijian  minister  and  teachers  by  the  natives  of  the 
interior  of  New  Britain. 

"We  desire  at  the  same  time  to  express  our  sincere  con- 
viction, that  but  for  your  prompt  action  in  the  matter  the 
lives  of  neither  traders  nor  missionaries  would  have  been  safe 
in  any  part  of  these  groups,  and  it  was  acting  under  this  con- 
viction we  gladly  rendered  you  every  assistance  in  our  power. 

"  We  would  also  state  that  we  have  had  ample  proof  since 
of  the  good  effect  produced  by  your  actions,  not  only  on  the 
murderers  themselves  and  the  participators  in  the  horrible 
cannibalism  resulting  therefrom,  but  also  in  the  generally 
improved  conduct  of  the  surrounding  tribes. 

"We  therefore  again  express  our  conviction  that  your  action 
is  fully  justified  not  only  by  the  sad  cause  which  gave  rise  to 


270  GEORGE    BROWN 

it,  but  also  by  the   beneficial  results  which   are   so   apparent 
to  us  all. 

"  We  beg  to  remain,  dear  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servants, 
(Signed) 

"  WILFRED  POWELL,  Master,  ketch  Star  of  the  East. 
GRANVILLE  A.  WOOD,  Mate,  ketch  Star  of  the  East. 
GEORGE  TURNER,  Collector. 

WILLIAM  HICKS,  Trader  for  Messrs.  J.  C.  Goddefroy's. 
H.  BLOHM,  Trader  for  Messrs.  Hernsheim  &  Co. 
CHARLES  E.  YOUNG! 
JAMES  MCGRATH     |Residents'' 

The  publication  of  this  intelligence  created  a  good  deal 
of  excitement.  The  Board  of  Missions  passed  some  very 
sympathetic  resolutions,  and  the  daily  Press  in  the  several 
colonies  was,  on  the  whole,  very  fair  in  its  criticisms.  My 
dear  friend,  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  wrote  at  length  in  reply  to 
some  of  these.  We  did  not  receive  these  comments  until  more 
than  six  months  after  the  event.  I  had  to  reply  almost 
immediately,  and  I  naturally  wrote  under  deep  feeling ;  whilst 
the  conscious  assurance  that  we  had  done  right  made  me 
reject  almost  unkindly  the  excuses  which  were  made  for  my 
action,  and  also  caused  me  again  to  take  far  more  than 
my  proper  share  of  responsibility.  As  an  instance  of  my 
perverse  conduct  I  may  mention  that  the  Rev.  B.  Chapman 
had  very  properly  pointed  out,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  McGrath, 
the  difficulties  which  made  the  removal  of  the  teachers  and 
their  families  almost  impossible  ;  but  in  this  letter  I  declined 
to  accept  this  conclusion,  and  said  that  I  could  probably 
have  removed  all  the  teachers  on  New  Britain  before  any 
more  lives  had  been  lost.  Some  months  afterwards,  with  fuller 
information,  I  knew  that  Mr.  Chapman,  writing  after  ex- 
amining Mr.  McGrath  and  others,  was  right,  and  that  I  was 
wrong ;  and  every  white  man  in  New  Britain  told  me  so.  I 
make  no  excuse  for  this  perversity  except  this,  that  I  naturally 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       271 

felt  a  little  sore  at  some  of  the  criticisms,  and  preferred  to 
have  the  whole  matter  of  our  action  discussed  in  its  worst 
possible  aspect.  I  am  older  now,  and  I  hope  I  am  a  wiser 
man  than  I  was  at  that  time. 

My  feelings  at  the  time  will  be  well  understood  from  the 
following  extracts  from  a  letter  written  by  me  to  the  Rev. 
B.  Chapman,  General  Secretary,  on  November  16,  1878  : 

"  The  Dancing  Wave  arrived  here  on  Wednesday  last,  the 
1 3th  instant;  the  John  Wesley  has  not  yet  arrived.  I  boarded 
the  vessel  when  outside  in  the  channel,  and  Mr.  Robertson 
gave  me  at  once  the  small  parcel  which  he  had  kindly  brought 
for  us.  I  felt  very  sorry  indeed  that  our  actions  here  had 
caused  such  trouble  and  anxiety  to  the  Board,  and  to  our 
many  friends,  and  I  sympathised  much  with  you  in  your 
desire  for  information  on  details  which  I  had  not  given.  The 
fact  is,  that  when  I  wrote  I  was  afraid  of  saying  too  much, 
on  one  side,  for  fear  of  appearing  to  boast  of  what  we  had 
done  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  I  was  afraid  of  attempting 
to  palliate,  or  to  meet  objections  half  way,  for  fear  of  appearing 
to  be  consciously  guilty  of  having  done  something  which  we 
knew  to  be  wrong  ;  and  so  I  judged  it  best  just  to  tell  the 
tale  plainly  and  truthfully  without  comment. 

"  I  hope  when  you  publish  this  you  will  not  head  it 
'  Mr.  Brown's  Defence,'  or  any  other  title  like  that.  I  do 
not  write  now  to  defend  myself  or  my  actions.  I  simply 
accept  my  position  with  all  its  responsibilities  and  con- 
sequences, namely,  as  that  of  a  missionary  placed  in  very 
difficult  circumstances,  without  any  precedent  to  guide  him, 
who  has  been  compelled  to  do  certain  acts  which  he  believed 
(and  still  believes)  to  be  right  and  proper  as  being  the  only 
means  for  preserving  life  ;  and  who  has  thus  been  compelled 
to  grieve  many  dear  and  valued  friends,  and  to  imperil, 
if  not  destroy, '  his  reputation  as  a  missionary,'  but  who  has 
been  fully  justified  by  every  resident  and  every  visitor  here, 
has  been  treated  with  very  kind  consideration  by  the  Board, 
and,  on  the  whole,  has  not  been  unkindly  or  unfairly  criticised 


272  GEORGE    BROWN 

by  the  public  Press,  and  who  is  content  to  leave  the  final 
issue  to  time  for  the  decision  of  his  fellow-men,  and  to  God  for 
His  judgment. 

"  You  will  remember  that  in  my  first  letter  I  stated  that 
all  our  actions  were  done  in  the  expectation  of  a  judicial 
inquiry.  This,  however,  was  not  what  I  feared.  A  lady 
writer  in  The  Weekly  Advocate,  September  28,  has  instinctively 
and  kindly  touched  upon  my  greatest  difficulty  and  my  sorest 
temptation.  (For  my  wife  and  myself  I  say,  'Thanks,  kind 
friend,  though  we  know  you  not.')  I  had  no  doubts  about 
my  duty  or  the  necessity  of  action,  none  about  what  to  do 
or  how  to  do  it ;  but  I  well  remember  when  in  poor  Sailasa's 
house  at  Kabakada — with  the  widows  and  children  crying 
and  wailing  in  their  sorrow,  as  I  sat  bowed  down  beside  them, 
with  my  head  grasped  tightly  between  my  hands,  and  my 
ears  stopped,  compelling  myself  to  be  calm  enough  to  consider 
the  whole  affair,  and  praying  to  God  to  help  me  to  decide 
aright,  that  this  fear  of  grieving  old  and  dear  friends  was 
my  greatest  temptation  ;  and  now  I  confess,  with  some  shame, 
that  it  almost  made  me  coward  enough  to  shirk  doing  that 
which,  however  painful  to  myself,  was,  I  truly  believed,  my 
duty,  and  the  only  means  of  saving  the  lives  of  both  teachers 
and  traders.  Of  course  I  do  not  expect  that  all  will  think 
yet  that  I  did  right ;  my  own  conscience  is  clear  enough ; 
but  I  do  not,  and  cannot,  blame  those  who  think  differently. 
As  I  said  before,  I  can  only  give  the  reasons  which  influenced 
our  actions.  I  cannot  make  people  feel  their  force  as  we  did. 
They  must  be  placed  in  the  same  circumstances. 

"  I  am  quite  certain  that  we  did  not  exaggerate  the  danger. 
The  trader's  house  at  Raluana  was  fired,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  flee,  but  the  teachers  remained.  The  same  happened  at 
Kininigunan,  and  the  teacher  remained.  We  continued  to  visit 
regularly  at  Diwaon,  the  coast  town  which  suffered,  though 
we  all  knew  that  they  tried  to  kill  four  of  the  teachers  when 
I  was  away  in  Sydney.  They  were  buying  yams  on  the  beach, 


AKESA,  WIDOW  OF  JOELI  BULU. 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       273 

and  the  natives  got  them  all  separated  from  each  other,  on  the 
pretence  of  taking  them  to  different  heaps  of  yams,  and  it  was 
by  what  some  would  call  the  merest  accident  that  the  plot 
did  not  succeed.  We  knew  this,  but  we  went  there  still. 
I  do  not  pretend  to  be  constitutionally  a  brave  man,  but  I 
could  easily  give  plenty  of  instances  to  show  that  neither  I 
nor  our  teachers  were  very  easily  scared  into  a  fight.  I  have 
not  done  so  in  many  instances,  even  in  my  printed  journals, 
because  I  do  not  like  sensational  affairs,  and  because  I  thought 
that  some  might  think  they  were  printed  for  the  purpose.  .  .  .  We 
have  always  been  as  careful  as  possible  in  avoiding  collision 
with  the  natives  ;  and  this  has  not  been  very  easy  work  at 
all  times.  I  will  give  you  one  instance,  which  can  easily  be 
substantiated  by  at  least  two  of  the  Johan  Ctzsar's  passengers, 
now  in  Sydney.  Some  few  months  ago,  as  I  told  you,  we 
visited  Spacious  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of  verifying,  or  otherwise, 
our  ideas  of  the  place.  You  will  remember  that  when  we  first 
went  there,  when  I  was  down  here  alone,  we  did  not  land, 
but  this  time  we  did  so,  and  I  think  were  probably  the  first 
white  men  who  had  been  on  shore  there.  We  did  not  see 
the  people  who  were  there  on  my  first  visit ;  and  our  impression 
was  that  they  had  been  driven  away  or  killed,  as  we  saw 
only  the  deserted  houses  and  some  burnt  human  bones 
However,  there  were  many  natives  on  the  beach,  all  armed. 
We  landed  and  traded  with  them,  and  did  our  best  to  make 
them  feel  friendly.  I  was  trading  for  some  yams,  I  think, 
when  one  man  snatched  at  a  piece  of  red  cloth  in  my  breast- 
pocket. An  involuntary  exclamation  escaped  me,  the  man 
sprang  back,  and  in  an  instant  forty  or  fifty  spears  were  lifted 
and  pointed  within  a  few  feet  of  our  bodies.  Had  there  been 
the  slightest  sign  of  fear,  of  flight,  or  of  an  intention  to  fight 
nothing  could  have  saved  us.  I  pulled  out  the  piece  of  cloth, 
held  it  up,  and  pointed  to  the  man  who  had  attempted  to  steal 
it.  The  natives  understood,  and  scolded  the  man  ;  the  spears 
were  dropped,  and  all  went  on  well  again.  After  that  we  went 
all  over  the  village  ;  but  it  was  the  narrowest  escape  we  have 

18 


274  GEORGE    BROWN 

ever  had,  so  far  as  I  know.  Until  the  murder  of  the  teachers, 
in  all  our  many  journeys  by  land  and  sea  amongst  these  people, 
I  have  never  known  a  weapon  even  to  be  pointed  in  anger  by 
any  of  us. 

"  I  come  now  to  your  own  letter  in  The  Weekly  Advocate, 
October  5.  For  all  your  kind  words  and  consideration,  you 
have,  as  you  know,  my  heartfelt  thanks ;  but  I  must,  I  fear, 
again  weaken  my  own  case  with  many,  by  saying  that  though 
the  difficulties  you  have  pointed  out  as  hindering  my  with- 
drawing all  our  teachers  to  Duke  of  York  did  undoubtedly 
exist,  yet  I  do  not  think  they  were  insuperable.  I  did  take 
away  the  teacher  and  his  wife  who  were  left  behind  at 
Kabakada,  and  all  the  widows  and  children, '  arriving  there, 
\s  I  told  you,  only  just  in  time  to  save  them.  I  could  also, 
most  probably,  have  removed  all  the  teachers  on  New  Britain 
before  any  more  lives  were  lost.  I  did  not  attempt  this, 
because  I  felt  certain  that  such  a  step  involved  not  only 
the  abandonment  of  our  Mission,  but  also,  in  all  probability, 
the  death  of  the  few  traders  and  one  white  lady  at  Kabakada. 
Their  lives  were  threatened  by  Taleli,  and  they  themselves  felt 
that  they  were  in  imminent  danger.  The  natives  were  quite 
demoralised  after  the  massacre  ;  all  their  angry  passions  were 
excited  ;  the  other  tribes  were  all  being  tampered  with,  and 
life  was  no  longer  safe.  In  simple  self-defence  we  acted  as 
we  did,  rather  than  leave  our  fellow-countrymen  to  bear  alone 
the  fury  of  the  storm  of  which  we  unfortunately  were  in  some 
measure  the  cause.  In  this  I  firmly  believe  we  did  right. 
The  whites  are  alive,  our  stations  are  occupied,  and  the  teachers 
are  respected  and  loved.  The  houses  of  the  murdered  teachers 
have  been  well  looked  after.  Their  gardens  are  untouched,  and 
the  people  are  anxiously  waiting  for  their  teachers  to  come  by 
the  John  Wesley.  Since  I  wrote  you  last  by  H.M.S.  Sandfly, 
I  have  succeeded  in  getting  Taleli  to  meet  me.  It  was  a  long 
job,  but  he  came  at  last,  and  we  interchanged  presents  and 
became  friends. 

"On  the  Press  criticisms  given    in    T/te    Weekly  Advocate, 


SECOND   TERM    OF   RESIDENCE       275 

October  12,  I  need  say  but  little  in  addition  to  the  explanations 
already  given,  as,  with  the  remarks  made  by  the  editor,  they 
meet  all  the  objections  of  most  of  the  papers.  I  have  no  fault 
with  any  of  them  save  one,  and  that  only  for  '  distortion  of 
facts.'  Our  conduct  was  open  to  criticism,  and  I  fully 
expected  that  it  would  be  criticised.  I  was  not  sanguine  or 
simple  enough  to  think  that  we  would  please  all,  or  that  our 
situation  could  be  fully  understood  by  those  far  away  from  us, 
and  looking  at  the  question  from  quite  another  standpoint  from 
that  in  which  we  were  placed.  I  may,  however,  state  that 
I  at  once  wrote  to  Sir  Arthur  Gordon,  Her  Majesty's  High 
Commissioner  of  Polynesia,  informing  him  of  the  affair.  We 
only  heard  of  the  appointment  being  made  long  after  we  were 
friends  again  with  the  people.  We  shall  be  very  thankful 
indeed  for  the  protection  and  help  which  this  appointment 
will  afford ;  but  in  a  case  of  immediate  danger  like  this 
action  'had  to  be  taken,  and  the  consequence  incurred  at 
once. 

"  The  article  in  TJu  Age  has  been  so  fully  replied  to  by 
one  who  has  himself  faced  danger  and  endured  trials  in  the 
mission  field,  that  I  have  but  little  to  say  about  it  as  regards 
myself,  except  to  thank  Mr.  Watsford  sincerely  for  his  kindness 
in  saying  what  he  could  for  an  absent  brother  missionary.  I 
must,  however,  say  a  few  words  for  the  men  with  whom  I  am 
proud  to  labour  here,  as  they  cannot  speak  for  themselves, 
except  by  their  self-sacrificing  lives  and  conduct.  The  writer 
speaks  of  us  as  '  bearers  of  glad  tidings,  who  take  care  to  have 
their  muskets  with  them.'  It  will  perhaps  enable  that  gentle- 
man and  others  to  understand  our  position  better  than  he  does 
when  I  tell  him  that,  though  we  landed  here  more  than  three 
years  ago,  when  there  was  not  a  white  man  in  the  group, 
have  lived  amongst  them  ever  since,  have  opened  up  the  whole 
of  this  part  of  the  group  to  trade  and  to  the  influences  of 
Christianity  and  civilisation — though  our  teachers  have  re- 
mained, in  spite  of  insult  and  injury,  in  villages  when  the 
houses  of  the  traders  were  burnt,  and  from  which  they  were 


276  GEORGE    BROWN 

compelled  to  flee ;  yet  up  to  the  day  when  I  took  the  widows 
and  children  from  Kabakada  our  whole  stock  of  arms  consisted 
of  only  a  few  (three)  fowling  pieces  never  used  but  for  shooting 
pigeons  or  for  collecting  birds,  a  small  revolver,  which  a  friend, 
who  was  anxious  about  me,  sent  us  in  Samoa,  but  which  has 
never  been  fired  or  even  pointed  at  a  man,  and  an  old  Tower 
musket,  left  here  by  Captain  M.,  which,  I  am  sure,  neither  the 
editor  nor  any  other  sensible  man  would  like  to  fire  off.  But 
for  this  even  we  had  no  caps,  nor,  as  far  as  I  know,  had  we 
a  bullet  amongst  us,  unless  some  of  our  lads  had  got  a  few 
for  pig-shooting.  We  had  not  a  single  rifle  nor  an  ounce  of 
lead  in  our  possession.  Would  either  Mohammed  or  the 
writer  of  the  article  in  question  have  come  equipped  in  the 
same  way,  have  gone  where  we  have  gone,  and  done  what 
we  have  done  ?  The  writer  also  says  :  '  With  such  a  motive 
(i.e.y  not  to  desire  to  avenge  the  murder,  but  rather  to  consult 
the  safety  of  the  settlement  in  general,  and  to  prevent  future 
outrages)  he  felt  himself  justified  in  joining  an  expedition,'  etc. 
Does  this  gentleman  really  condemn  me  for  this?  Does  he 
think  that  in  becoming  missionaries  we  cease  to  be  men,  and, 
above  all,  cease  to  feel  and  act  as  Christian  Englishmen  ?  Does 
he  think  that  it  would  have  been  more  becoming  for  us  to  sneak 
away  like  cowards  to  our  own  shelter,  and  leave  a  few  white 
men  and  one  white  lady  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a  lot  of 
cannibals  who  had  just  tasted  blood,  and  were  thirsting  for 
more?  There  were  men  there,  and  one  white  lady,  living  in  the 
same  village  with  Sailasa,  whose  lives  were  threatened  by 
Taleli,  and  who  were  most  certainly  in  imminent  danger  from 
the  passions  excited  by  the  murder  of  our  teachers,  and  yet  we, 
who  were  in  some  measure  the  hapless  cause  of  their  danger, 
ought  to  have  gathered  up  our  goods  and  fled  to  our  own 
island,  protected  ourselves  there,  and  left  them  to  their  fate  ! 
Had  we  done  this  I  am  quite  certain  that  the  editor  of  The 
Age  would  not  have  commended  our  conduct. 

"  I  should  like  also  to  say  a  few  words  on  one  part  of  the 
very   fair  criticism    in    Tlte  Australasian.      The   writer    says : 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       277 

'  If  missionary  enterprise  in  such  an  island  as  this  leads  to 
wars  of  vengeance,  which  may  readily  develop  into  wars  of 
extermination,  the  question  may  be  raised  whether  it  may  not 
be  better  to  withdraw  the  Mission  from  savages  who  show  so 
little  appreciation  of  its  benefits.'  I  reply  that  the  great  danger 
of  any  such  wars  arising  (the  present  case  notwithstanding)  is 
not  from  missionary  enterprise.  Our  Duke  of  York  people 
here  complain,  as  other  natives  have  done,  that  they  are 
forgetting  how  to  fight,  and  that  their  young  men  are  growing 
up  not  knowing  how  to  throw  a  spear  or  sling  a  stone.  The 
danger  is  from  quite  another  source,  and  the  missionary,  by  his 
simple  presence  alone,  exercises  a  restraining  influence  which 
prevents  many  outrages  and  averts  the  evil  consequences  of 
others.  Any  one  who  has  been  much  in  the  company  of  old  South 
Sea  men,  when  their  tongues  are  loosed,  will  have  heard  enough 
to  make  him  wish  that  there  was  a  missionary  on  every  island 
in  Polynesia.  We  have  been  here  only  three  years,  but  I  only 
assert  a  simple  fact  when  I  say  that  the  natives  everywtiere 
regard  us  as  their  best  friends. 

"  Neither  our  teachers  nor  I  have  any  fears  of  any  more 
disturbances  on  this  account,  either  now  or  at  any  future  time. 
Both  the  coast  towns  are  very  anxious  for  the  teachers  to  go 
there.  The  house  at  Karavia  is  built,  and  would  have  been 
occupied  long  ago  but  for  the  death  of  the  teacher.  The  fact  is, 
that  we  had  public  opinion  here,  both  native  and  European, 
entirely  with  us.  There  is  not  a  single  native  in  the  group  who 
does  not  think  that  we  did  right.  They  all  say  that  other 
murders  would  very  soon  have  followed  if  we  had  acted 
otherwise.  Taleli  is  the  only  man  I  do  not  yet  fully  trust." 

I  wrote  that  letter  under  strong  feeling  ;  but  during  the  many 
years  which  have  passed  since  that  time,  I  have  never  found  any 
reason  to  alter  the  opinions  and  judgment  which  I  then 
expressed. 

During  the  time  which  elapsed  between  the  writing  of  my 
letter  of  June  26,  giving  the  first  account  of  the  murders  and 


278  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  action  which  we  had  taken,  and  the  one  I  have  just  quoted 
above,  we  were  visited  by  Captain  De  Hoghton,  of  H.M.S. 
Beagle,  who  arrived  in  the  group  on  August  8  ;  and  also  by 
Captain  C.  G.  Home,  of  H.M.S  Sandfly,  who  arrived  about  the 
same  time.  During  the  six  days  vye  were  over  on  New  Britain, 
Captain  De  Hoghton  examined  nearly  the  whole  of  the  bay, 
especially  Karavia,  one  of  the  coast  towns  which  suffered  most 
for  their  participation  in  the  murders.  I  provided  him  with  a 
competent  interpreter,  and  he  made  most  particular  inquiries 
of  the  people.  He  told  them  that  a  British  ship-of-war  visited 
their  islands  for  the  protection  of  the  natives  themselves  as 
much  as  for  the  protection  of  the  whites,  and  that  he  was  also 
anxious  to  find  out  why  the  teachers  were  killed.  To  this  they 
replied  that  the  murders  did  not  originate  with  them ;  that 
Taleli  and  others  had  sent  word  to  the  bush  towns  asking  for 
the  teachers  to  be  killed  ;  and  that  they  themselves  were  not 
directly  concerned  in  the  murders,  though  they  acknowledged 
that  some  of  their  people  had  helped  to  eat  the  bodies.  In 
answer  to  a  question  as  to  whether  they  still  wished  for  a  teacher, 
they  said  they  were  very  anxious  indeed  that  Joni  (a  teacher) 
should  come  and  live  with  them  as  soon  as  possible. 

Whilst  we  were  lying  in  Blanche  Bay  the  Sandfly  called  in 
on  her  way  to  the  extreme  end  of  New  Ireland.  Captain  Home 
very  kindly  asked  me  to  accompany  him  on  this  voyage,  and 
I  very  gladly  accepted  his  kind  invitation,  not  only  on  account 
of  my  health,  but  also  because  it  gave  me  a  good  opportunity 
for  acquiring  some  knowledge  of  those  parts.  Captain  Home 
visited  the  north  coast,  and  interviewed  the  people  amongst 
whom  Sailasa,  our  native  minister  and  the  other  teachers,  had 
lived.  He  also  conversed  a  good  deal  with  the  white  residents 
on  the  subject  of  the  massacre,  and  I  had  his  full  permission  to 
inform  the  Mission  Board  that  in  his  opinion  we  acted  perfectly 
right  in  the  action  we  took,  and  that  it  had  been  very  beneficial 
to  the  teachers  and  traders,  and  the  people  themselves. 

A  few  months  after  this  we  were  visited  by  H.I. M.S.  Ariadne. 
Her  commander,  Captain  von  Werner,  and  the  Imperial  German 


SECOND    TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       279 

Consul  for  Samoa,  Tonga,  etc.,  Th.  Weber,  Esq.,  who  was  on 
board  the  vessel,  made  very  full  and  particular  inquiries,  both 
from  the  natives  and  the  foreign  residents,  quite  unknown 
to  me,  and  formed  their  opinion  absolutely  independently  of 
any  information  supplied  by  me.  The  commander  was  very 
kind  indeed  to  us,  and  was  very  considerate  also  to  the  natives 
in  the  various  cases  of  house-burning,  etc.,  on  which  he  had  to 
adjudicate.  A  nominal  fine  and  reproof  were  the  only  punish- 
ments inflicted,  with  a  warning  that  any  further  offence  would 
be  severely  punished.  Captain  von  Werner  did  all  he  could  to 
strengthen  our  influence  with  the  people.  He  brought  the 
splendid  band  from  the  vessel  up  to  the  mission  house,  to  the 
great  enjoyment  of  ourselves  and  natives.  He  also  arranged 
a  sham  fight,  which  very  much  impressed  the  people  with  the 
power  of  the  weapons  used  by  the  white  men.  We  had  all  our 
people  seated  in  front  of  the  mission  house  when  the  supposed 
attacking  party  were  landed  on  the  beach,  and  as  the  skirmishers 
gradually  approached  the  house,  and  the  firing  in  the  dense 
bush  became  very  rapid,  it  required  all  my  efforts  to  assure  the 
people  that  no  harm  was  intended.  At  one  time,  when  the 
troops  had  united  and  charged  the  mission  house  with  fixed 
bayonets  and  wild  cheering,  I  certainly  expected  that  they  would 
all  break  away  and  run  for  their  lives.  However,  they  much 
enjoyed  the  exhibition,  though  they  were  very  frightened  at  the 
time.  Nothing,  however,  was  said  to  me  about  the  massacre 
and  our  action  until  I  received  the  following  letters  : 

[COPY] 

"MAKADA,  DUKE  OF  YORK,  ON  BOARD  H.I.M.S.  'ARIADNE.' 

"  December  14,  1878. 
"MY  DEAR   SIR, 

"  Enclosed  I  beg  to  return  to  you  Captain  von  Werner's 
letter  to  you  and  the  copy  of  his  report  to  the  Imperial 
Admiralty,  together  with  the  English  translation,  which  I 
made  at  your  request. 

"  I  will  not  fail  to  state  again  on  this  occasion  that  I  fully 
coincide   with   the   views    expressed    in    these    documents    by 


28o  GEORGE    BROWN 

Captain  von  Werner,  and   I  feel  that  great  thanks  are  due  to 
you  for  what  you  have  done  for  all. 

"  I  hope  sincerely  that  sentimentality  and  false  humanity 
will  not  succeed  in  troubling  you  seriously,  and  I  shall  be 
very  glad  if  I  should  at  any  time  be  able  to  be  of  any  service 
to  you  in  this  matter. 

"  With  kindest  regards  and  sincerest  wishes  for  your  welfare, 
I  beg  to  remain,  my  dear  sir,  yours  very  truly, 

(Signed}     "  TH.  WEBER, 
"  Imperial  German  Consul  for  Samoa,  Tonga,  etc. 

"REV.  GEO.  BROWN,  ETC.,  PRESENT." 

[TRANSLATION] 

"  HARBOUR  OF  MAKADA, 

"December  14,  1878. 

"  REVEREND  SIR, 

"  In  consequence  of  the  murder  of  some  persons  be- 
longing to  your  Mission,  you  have  in  April  this  year  undertaken 
an  expedition  against  the  murderers,  leading  to  a  sanguinary 
encounter. 

"  Although  this  matter  does  apparently  not  concern  other 
than  English  interests,  still  I  have  been  informed  here  on  the 
spot  to  the  effect  that  this  expedition,  undertaken  under  your 
wise  guidance,  was  not  an  act  of  revenge  only,  but  principally 
a  command  of  self-help,  because  otherwise  a  general  rising  of 
the  natives  would  have  taken  place,  which  could  only  have 
ended  with  the  murder  of  all  foreigners  living  here. 

"  I  have  also  been  informed  to  the  effect  that  the  issue  of 
this  expedition  became  such  a  favourable  one  only  because 
you,  reverend  sir,  by  taking  its  guidance  upon  you,  thereby 
obtained  at  the  same  time  the  power  to  check  the  aroused 
passions  and  to  prevent  an  excess  of  bloodshed,  whereby  other- 
wise the  final  result  of  this  expedition  might  have  become  again 
a  doubtful  one. 

"  This  favourable  issue,  which  has  also  materially  benefited 
German  interests,  has  thus  caused  me  to  inform  my  Govern- 
ment of  the  sentiments  of  gratitude  which  your  noble  and 


A    CHIEF    OF    RE\VA. 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       281 

courageous  action  has  created  in  the  hearts  as  well  of  all 
Germans  living  here  as  also  those  foreigners  who  are  in  German 
employ. 

"  At  the  same  time  I  omit  not  also  to  express  personally,  in 
my  capacity  as  a  representative  of  His  Majesty  the  German 
Emperor,  my  kindest  and  most  cordial  thanks  to  you  for  what 
you  have  done  from  humanity  for  my  German  brethren. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  remain,  with  the  expression  of  highest 
consideration,  reverend  sir,  yours  obediently  and  gratefully, 

{Signed)     "  VON  WERNER, 
"  Captain  of  Corvette  and  Commandant, 
"To  THE  REVEREND  MR.  BROWN." 

[TRANSLATION] 

"  DUKE  OF  YORK  ISLAND, 

"  December  12,  1878. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  report  to  the  Imperial  Admiralty 
most  obediently  as  follows  : 

"  As  you  will,  no  doubt,  have  been  made  aware  of  ere  this, 
the  English  missionary,  Mr.  Brown,  with  the  assistance  of 
Fijian  and  Samoan  mission  teachers  who  are  under  his  orders, 
and  also  of  foreigners  living  in  these  parts,  undertook  an  ex- 
pedition in  April  this  year  against  the  natives  of  New  Britain 
for  the  defence  of  life  and  property  of  all  foreigners  living 
here,  in  consequence,  whereof,  about  one  hundred  natives  1  lost 
their  lives.  This  brave  deed  has  been  very  harshly  criticised 
in  many  quarters  in  Australia,  but  especially  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  Fiji,  to  which  jurisdiction  Mr.  Brown  belongs,  and  it 
has  been  hinted  to  me  in  Levuka  by  competent  parties  that 
Mr.  Brown  is  to  be  put  on  his  trial  for  manslaughter,  and 
that  he  would  be  punished  at  least  with  five  years'  imprison- 
ment, as  the  privilege  of  defending  his  life  in  such  a  manner 
could  not  be  allowed  to  a  missionary.  The  Chief  Justice  of 
the  colony  of  Fiji  told  me  himself  that  he  would  leave  Levuka 
at  the  beginning  of  December  in  the  English  corvette  Nymph, 
to  proceed  to  Duke  of  York,  and  conduct  the  inquiry  on  the  spot 

1  See  page  313. 


282  GEORGE    BROWN 

"  These  contradictory  opinions  made  it  difficult  to  arrive  at 
a  correct  view  of  the  situation  from  a  distance,  and  I  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  the  information  which  I  received 
here  from  Germans  and  German  trading  agents  to  be  of  such 
a  nature  that  the  sympathy  which  I  had  already  felt  before 
for  this  brave  man  could  only  be  strengthened  thereby.  All  in- 
formation which  I  received  agrees  upon  this — that  no  foreigner 
living  ashore  would  now  be  alive,  and  that  all  foreign  property 
would  be  destroyed,  but  for  the  action  of  Mr.  Brown,  and  that 
consequently  the  greatest  thanks  are  due  to  this  man,  who  left 
his  wife  and  children  behind  under  the  protection  of  doubtful 
savages,  in  order  to  jeopardise  his  life  for  the  lives  of  all 
foreigners  living  here  and  for  their  property. 

"  This  unanimous  acknowledgment  of  this  brave  deed,  by 
which  next  of  all  something  like  order  and  security  have  been 
brought  about  in  the  state  of  affairs  here,  causes  me  to  submit 
this  matter  to  the  wise  consideration  of  the  Imperial  Admiralty, 
as  a  warm  commendation  from  the  Imperial  Government  is 
due  to  Mr.  Brown  according  to  my  estimation,  because,  although 
Mr.  Brown  jeopardised  his  life  as  well  for  all,  without  distinction 
of  nationality,  still  practically  he  has  done  so  for  German 
interests  principally,  as,  so  far,  only  Germany  has  got  com- 
mercial interests  here,  even  if  many  of  the  trading  agents 
in  German  employ  are  English  subjects.  Perhaps  the  Imperial 
Government  may  feel  all  the  more  inclined  towards  such  a  well- 
deserved  commendation,  since  this  heroic  deed,  committed  with 
the  best  and  clearest  conscience,  is  judged  of  so  harshly  by  his 
own  country. 

"  A  letter  of  acknowledgment  from  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment to  the  Government  of  Great  Britain  would  be  perhaps  the 
best  and  most  useful  commendation  for  Mr.  Brown  ;  for  the 
present  I  have  myself,  as  a  representative  of  the  German 
Government,  addressed  a  letter  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Brown. 

(Signed}        "  VON  WERNER, 

Captain  of  Corvette. 

"To  THE  IMPERIAL  ADMIRALTY,  BERLIN." 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       283 

In  accordance  with  this  request,  a  letter  was  addressed  to 
the  Marquis  of  Salisbury  by  Herr  von  Munster,  the  German 
Ambassador  in  London,  from  which  the  following  is  an 
extract : 

"  From  the  concurrent  communications  of  all  the  Germans 
residing  in  the  Island,  as  well  as  from  the  announcement  to 
the  Imperial  Government  from  the  Commander  of  H.M. 
corvette  Ariadne,  it  appears  that  but  for  the  courageous  act  of 
the  English  missionary  all  the  foreigners  living  in  that  part 
of  the  coast  of  New  Britain  would  undoubtedly  have  been 
exposed  to  very  serious  dangers  of  life  and  property. 

"  It  is  therefore  the  desire  of  the  Imperial  Government, 
that  the  most  cordial  thanks  should  be  expressed  to  your 
Excellency  on  our  part  for  Mr.  Brown's  estimable  and 
courageous  conduct  in  protecting  the  interests  of  the  Germans 
in  New  Britain.  Whilst,  therefore,  I  have  the  honour  of 
discharging  hereby  the  commission  intrusted  in  me,  I  think  I 
may  be  allowed  to  express  the  hope  that  the  acknowledg- 
ment awarded  to  Mr.  Brown  by  the  Imperial  Government 
may,  perhaps,  in  case  of  necessity,  guard  this  spirited  man,  so 
highly  deserving  in  regard  to  the  interests  of  all  foreigners 
in  that  group  of  islands,  from  the  troubles  into  which  he  is 
reported  to  have  fallen  with  the  Royal  British  Authorities, 
in  consequence  of  the  expedition  mentioned  in  the  beginning. 

"  With  the  most  distinguished  consideration,  I  have,  etc., 

(Signed]    "  MUNSTER." 

The  visit  of  this  splendid  vessel,  the  Ariadne^  and  the  kind- 
ness we  received  from  all  on  board,  did  much  to  cheer  us  in  our 
loneliness,  and  I  think  it  also  strengthened  our  position  with 
the  natives.  When  the  vessel  left  Makada  Harbour,  Captain 
von  Werner  brought  her  quite  close  to  the  high  cliffs  on 
which  our  house  was  built,  as  the  water  was  very  deep 
almost  up  to  the  shore-line.  It  was  quite  a  surprise  to  us 
when  we  heard  the  band  playing,  and,  of  course,  we  were 
soon  out  on  the  edge  of  the  cliffs,  looking  down  almost  direct 


284  GEORGE    BROWN 

upon  her  decks.  The  officers  and  crew  were  all  mustered, 
and  it  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  such  a  large  vessel  under  steam 
so  close  to  our  house.  As  they  steamed  away  the  crew 
manned  the  rigging  and  lower  yards,  and  gave  us  three 
hearty  cheers  in  wishing  us  good-bye.  We  were  quite  un- 
prepared for  such  a  compliment,  but  we  did  the  best  we 
could  in  reply,  some  of  us  expressing  our  feelings  in  the  old 
British  way,  and  the  natives  by  uttering  the  most  piercing 
yells  and  shouts  that  they  could  produce.  It  would  be 
simple  affectation  if  I  were  not  to  say  that  we  felt  pleased 
that  our  actions  met  with  such  approval  as  was  expressed  in 
the  letters  of  Captain  von  Werner  and  Mr.  A.  Weber,  Imperial 
German  Consul,  and  in  their  conduct  to  us  whilst  they  were 
with  us. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  our  history,  I  will  give  the 
account  of  our  relations  with  the  man  who  played  such  a 
prominent  part  in  the  affair  of  which  I  have  been  writing. 
Taleli  was  a  man  who  in  many  respects  was  far  above  the 
people  amongst  whom  he  lived.  Under  different  conditions  he 
would  no  doubt  have  been  a  leader  amongst  the  people.  As  it 
was,  his  natural  force  of  character  and  intelligence  caused  him 
to  be  feared,  if  not  respected,  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
district  in  which  he  lived.  It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  me 
when  I  succeeded,  some  few  months  after  the  occurrence,  in 
again  adding  Taleli  to  the  number  of  my  friends.  I  had 
made  peace  previously  with  all  the  rest  of  the  people  before 
I  succeeded  in  securing  an  interview  with  him.  One  morning, 
however,  in  October,  I  think,  I  got  him  to  come  to  me 
at  his  own  village,  and  after  a  long  talk  he  consented  to 
accept  the  conditions  which  I  proposed  to  him,  namely,  that 
he  should  pay  for  the  injuries  he  had  committed,  as  all  the 
other  chiefs  had  done.  He  brought  the  payment  for  which  I 
had  stipulated,  but  he  had  evidently  misunderstood  my  motive 
in  seeking  to  make  peace  with  him,  or  he  had  calculated  too 
much  on  my  simplicity  and  ignorance,  for  on  counting  the 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE       285 

shell  money  I  found  it  to  be  considerably  short  of  the  specified 
quantity.  The  stuff  was,  of  course,  of  no  value  to  me  at  all, 
but  it  was  important  that  I  should  maintain  the  position 
which  I  had  assumed.  I  therefore  refused  to  accept  the 
diwara  which  he  had  brought,  and  returned  it  to  him, 
thus  leaving  the  matter  in  statu  quo.  I  think  this  action 
gave  Taleli  an  increased  appreciation  of  my  intelligence  ;  at 
all  events,  after  chewing  his  betel-nut,  and  evidently  con- 
sidering what  was  best  to  be  done,  he  went  away,  and  brought 
back  an  additional  quantity  of  diwara.  I  could  see  at  a 
glance  that  he  had  not  yet  brought  sufficient,  but  I  deemed  it 
wiser  in  this  instance  not  to  recount  it,  and  to  be  satisfied 
with  what  I  had  got,  leaving  to  him  the  consolation  that  he 
had  at  all  events  cheated  me  out  of  some  of  it.  It  is  not 
wise  in  these  cases  to  press  the  matter  too  far.  I  then 
returned  him  most  of  the  money  (diwara)  which  he  had 
brought,  and  gave  him  a  very  good  present  in  return,  so  that  I 
really  paid  far  more  than  he  did ;  but  the  prestige,  which  was 
all  I  wanted,  was  on  my  side.  We  had  a  good  talk,  and  I  then 
took  up  a  stone  and  said  to  him  :  "  Now,  Taleli,  suppose  I 
take  this  stone  out  into  the  blue  ocean  and  drop  it  overboard, 
what  would  become  of  it  ? "  He  said  it  would  go  to  the 
bottom  out  of  sight.  "  Well,"  I  said,  "  this  stone  represents 
our  quarrel,  and  I  fling  it  now  into  the  ocean,  and  it  is 
gone  out  of  sight  and  can  never  be  seen  again."  He  was 
evidently  very  much  impressed  ;  and  ever  after  when  I  was 
visiting  his  place,  especially  during  the  time  when  we  were 
building  Mr.  Danks's  house  at  Kabakada,  I  went  about  his 
village  without  the  slightest  fear.  I  remember  once  walking 
with  him  when  we  came  upon  the  ruins  of  his  large  canoe 
which  we  had  broken  up.  He  looked  down  at  me  and  smiled, 
pointing  to  the  broken  planks,  and  then  put  his  arm  around 
me  in  a  most  friendly  way. 

Perhaps  I  may  be  forgiven  if  I  state  here  some  of  the 
principles  on  which  I  have  always  acted  in  dealing  with 
natives,  and  which,  in  my  opinion,  have  given  me  some  of  the 


286  GEORGE    BROWN 

influence  over  them  which  many  believe  that  I  have.  One 
of  these  principles  was  never  to  break  my  word  to  a  native, 
even  in  small  matters.  If  I  told  a  native  teacher  I  would 
be  at  his  village  on  any  given  date,  I  always  managed  to  get 
there,  and  the  consequence  was  that  I  found  all  needful 
preparations  made  both  for  myself  and  crew.  I  have  known 
some  who  would  put  off  such  a  journey  from  some  little 
indisposition  or  other  trivial  cause,  and  go  on  a  date  when 
they  were  not  expected,  and  then  were  cross  because  no 
proper  preparations  had  been  made  for  their  reception.  Once 
the  natives  know  that  they  can  implicitly  trust  your  word 
they  will  honour  that  trust  by  giving  you  their  confidence.  The 
other  principles  were,  never  to  make  foolish  threats  which 
were  never  intended  to  be  carried  out ;  and  not  to  nag  or 
be  perpetually  fault-finding  for  little  faults.  A  native  chief 
will  often  get  into  a  furious  rage  with  his  people,  but  when 
his  anger  has  passed  he  resumes  his  friendly  relationship  with 
them,  and  he  loses  no  popularity  whatever  by  the  occurrence ; 
but  I  am  quite  certain  that  no  natives  would  either  honour  or 
obey  for  any  length  of  time  a  chief  who  was  always  finding 
fault  with  them. 

I  had  some  very  good  proofs  in  Taleli's  conduct  towards  me 
that  my  character  for  always  keeping  my  word  and  promise 
was  well  known  to  the  people.  I  had  told  him,  for  instance, 
that  when  the  John  Wesley  came  in  and  called  at  Kabakada 
he  was  to  come  on  board,  and  I  would  give  him  a  present  ; 
and  this  he  agreed  to  do.  However,  when  the  vessel  arrived 
I  found  it  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  go  over  in  her  to 
Kabakada,  but  I  certainly  did  not  forget  my  promise.  I  sent 
a  native  on  board  the  ship  with  special  instructions  to  go  at 
once  to  Taleli  and  explain  the  reason  why  I  had  not  come, 
but  inviting  him  on  board,  and  to  give  him  the  present. 
When  the  messenger  went  Taleli  listened  quietly,  but  on  the 
conclusion  he  said  :  "  Is  Mr.  Brown  on  board  ?  "  "  No ;  but 
he  has  sent  a  present  for  you,  and  you  can  get  it  on  board." 
But  he  resolutely  declined  to  go,  saying :  "If  Mr.  Brown 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE       287 

were  on  board  I  would  go,  but  I  will  not  trust  myself  if  he  is 
not  there."  I  was  very  pleased  at  this  mark  of  confidence, 
especially  as  I  knew  that  there  was  a  big  price  offered  by  some 
of  the  foreign  residents  for  Taleli,  either  dead  or  alive.  But  I 
think  the  most  gratifying  proof  that  he  gave  of  his  confidence 
in  my  word  was  some  time  after  this,  when  we  were  building 
the  house  for  Mr.  Danks.  It  was  just  at  the  commencement  of 
that  very  severe  illness  which  finally  necessitated  my  temporary 
removal  from  the  Group.  I  was  lying  on  the  floor  in  one  of  the 
partly  finished  rooms  when  Taleli  came  in.  He  sat  down  by 
my  side,  and  asked  me  what  was  the  matter  with  me.  I  told 
him,  and  said  :  "  I  am  very  ill  indeed."  After  talking  a  while 
he  stretched  himself  out  alongside  of  me  with  his  musket, 
without  which  he  never  travelled,  between  his  legs  and  went 
sound  asleep.  I  must  confess  that  I  felt  quite  proud  when  I 
saw  him  lying  there.  He  of  course  knew  well  what  a  cruel 
wrong  he  had  done  us,  and  he  also  knew  that  a  large  amount 
of  diwara  was  offered  by  some  of  the  various  foreign  residents 
for  his  capture,  and  yet  he  had  such  confidence  in  my  word 
that  he  could  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep,  thus  putting  himself 
absolutely  in  our  power,  because  I  had  told  him  that  we  had 
fully  forgiven  the  past 

I  took  his  likeness  several  times,  and  often  look  at  it 
now  with  deep  interest.  I  really  liked  the  man,  though  I 
fear  he  was  a  big  rascal  ;  but  we  got  to  be  great  friends,  and 
after  I  left  the  group  I  used  to  receive  very  kindly  messages 
from  him.  He  was  finally  deported  by  the  German  Govern- 
ment to  New  Guinea,  and  died  there  an  exile  from  his  own 
land,  and  I,  for  one,  felt  very  sorry  indeed  when  I  heard  that 
he  had  passed  away. 

On  December  2,  1878,  the  John  Wesley  arrived  at  Port 
Hunter,  and  our  hearts  were  gladdened  to  find  the  Rev.  B.  and 
Mrs.  Danks  on  board.  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Watsford  was  also  on 
board  as  a  passenger ;  and  for  this  I  also  felt  very  glad,  as  we 
had  long  wished  for  a  visit  from  one  of  our  brethren  who  could 


288  GEORGE    BROWN 

present  an  impartial  report  of  the  work  done  and  of  the  general 
conditions  of  the  Mission.  As  soon  as  possible  we  all  went 
over  to  New  Britain,  and  visited  most  of  the  stations  there. 
Whilst  we  were  at  one  village  the  men,  women,  and  children 
came  round  us  in  great  numbers,  and  some  of  the  children 
especially  got  hold  of  my  hand  and  also  of  my  dress,  and  were 
evidently  pleased  at  our  visit.  I  said  to  our  friends  :  "  These 
people  do  not  seem  very  frightened,  or  appear  to  have  any 
ill-feeling  against  us."  To  which  they  replied  :  "  No,  indeed. 
They  seem  quite  at  home  with  you."  I  then  surprised  them 
by  saying  that  we  were  then  in  the  town  of  Diwaon,  which 
we  had  destroyed  for  their  participation  in  the  murder,  and  for 
their  cannibalism  in  eating  the  body  of  Sailasa,  not  very  far 
from  the  place  where  we  then  stood. 

It  was  on  this  visit  also  that  I  found,  from  a  remark  which 
I  accidentally  overheard,  that  there  had  evidently  been  an 
impression  amongst  some  members  of  the  Board  and  others 
that  I  had  been  trying  to  cover  too  much  ground,  and  so  had 
scattered  the  teachers  over  a  large  extent  of  coast,  thus  pre- 
venting them  from  uniting  together  for  mutual  protection  in 
case  of  danger.  It  was,  I  was  informed,  a  surprise  to  our 
visitors  to  find  that  on  the  north  coast,  where  Sailasa  lived, 
there  were  four  teachers  and  another  Fijian  stationed  on  four 
miles  of  the  coast,  and  that  in  Blanche  Bay  the  teachers  were 
all  within  a  mile  or  two  of  each  other.  The  knowledge  that 
this  wrong  impression  existed  grieved  me  a  good  deal  at  the 
time,  though  I  felt  that  I  could  scarcely  blame  those  who 
entertained  that  opinion,  as  so  little  was  then  known  of  the 
geography  of  the  district.  It  is  true  that  I  liked  to  go  ahead  ; 
but  I  knew  well  that  any  steady  progress  could  only  be  secured 
by  working  from  a  strong  and  firmly  set  base  of  operations, 
and  it  was  in  accordance  with  that  principle  that  all  the  teachers 
were  appointed.  My  own  visits  to  outlying  places  and  districts 
were  only  preparatory,  to  accustom  the  people  to  us  and  to 
make  ourselves  known  ;  and  there  were  few  places  within  a 
radius  of  many  miles  round  Port  Hunter  which  were  not 


-a 


FIJIAN    GIRLS. 


SECOND   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE      289 

acquainted  with  the  Henry  Reed  or  my  whale-boat.  I  noticed 
in  the  first  letter  that  my  colleague  Mr.  Danks  wrote  he  said : 
"  I,  in  common  with  many  others  in  the  colonies,  was  under 
the  impression  that  the  teachers  were  very  much  scattered,  and 
thus  in  times  of  danger  were  without  assistance.  This  is  a 
wrong  impression.  The  teachers  are  so  placed  that  in  four 
hours  they  could  all  assemble  in  a  good  place  for  protection, 
and  when  the  new  arrivals  are  stationed  one  hour's  walk  will 
take  any  one  teacher  to  his  neighbour." 

On  the  first  Sunday  after  the  arrival  of  the  John  Wesley 
Mr.  Watsford  baptized  our  little  boy  Wallis,  who  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  the  Mission  ;  after  which  I  had  the  great 
honour  and  privilege  of  baptizing  five  young  men  from  Duke 
of  York  and  two  from  New  Ireland.  They  had  been  under 
instruction  almost  from  the  commencement  of  the  Mission,  had 
long  conducted  family  prayer  in  their  own  houses,  and  had 
often  proved  the  sincerity  of  their  convictions  by  the  consistency 
of  their  conduct.  It  was  a  very  thrilling  service.  The  young 
men  all  chose  the  names  which  were  given  to  them  in  baptism  ; 
and  as  they  were  the  first  natives  who  were  received  into  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  New  Britain,  I  place  their  names  on  record  : 

Penijimani  (Benjamin)  Lelei,  of  Molot 

Paula  (Paul)  Kaplen,  of  Kinawanua. 

Jiali  (Charlie)  Noa,  of  Kinawanua. 

Inoki  (Enoch)  To  Bagbag,  of  Kinawanua. 

Loti  (Lot)  Alik,  of  Kinawanua. 

Petero  (Peter)  Topilike,  of  Kalil,  New  Ireland. 

Apisa  (Abijah)  Turane,  of  Kalil,  New  Ireland. 
Every  one  of  these  seven  men  became  local  preachers ;  five 
of  them  were  afterwards  appointed  as  teachers  and  pastors  to 
other  villages,  one  of  whom  (Inoki  To  Bagbag)  is  still  in  the 
work.  It  is  a  great  joy  to  me  to  be  able  to  record  that  all  the 
rest  witnessed  a  good  confession,  and  were  faithful  unto  death. 

In  the  afternoon  we  held  a  service  in  Fijian,  at  which  all 
the  newly  received  converts  were  present,  and  for  the  first  time 

19 


29o  GEORGE    BROWN 

joined  with  us  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  It  was 
indeed  a  blessed  service,  and  my  heart  was  full  of  gratitude 
and  love  to  our  Heavenly  Father.  I  wrote  in  my  diary  at 
night :  "  From  this  day  dates  the  beginning  of  the  Church  in 
this  Mission.  God  grant  that  many  more  may  be  added  to  the 
number."  And  now,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  thirty  years, 
we  have  abundant  proof  that  God  has  heard  and  answered  the 
many  prayers  which  were  offered  up  on  behalf  of  the  people  in 
New  Britain. 

Thefe/m  Wesley  sailed  for  Fiji  on  December  26,  and  we  soon 
ettled  down  to  the  hard  work  necessitated  by  the  formation  of 
a  new  mission  station  at  Kabakada.  Our  launch  had  been 
gradually  showing  signs  of  the  hard  work  which  had  been  done  ; 
but  our  new  colleague,  Mr.  Danks,  was  an  expert  engineer,  and 
he  succeeded  in  effecting  some  very  necessary  repairs,  and  soon 
had  her  in  very  fair  working  order.  His  services  in  taking  this 
work  off  my  hands  were  very  valuable,  and  we  all  felt  very 
grateful  to  him. 

On  January  2,  1879,  Just  a  week  after  the  Jo/in  Wesley  left  us, 
the  carpenter  and  I  started  for  Kabakada,  leaving  Mr.  Danks 
to  follow  in  the  steam  launch,  which  he  did  on  the  7th.  We 
were  soon  all  hard  at  work  on  the  new  house.  A  few  short 
extracts  from  my  diary  will  give  only  a  very  imperfect  idea  of 
the  work  done  during  the  next  three  months,  as  my  readers 
can  have  no  correct  idea  of  the  distances  which  were  travelled, 
or  of  the  exposure  to  sun  and  rain  which  many  of  these 
journeys  involved.  The  privations  and  anxieties  of  the  past 
months  were  beginning  to  tell  upon  me,  and  I  see  now  that 
if  I  had  paid  heed  to  the  warnings  which  I  received  from  the 
ever-recurring  attacks  of  illness,  I  might  have  been  spared 
much  subsequent  suffering : 

"On  January  8  I  went  to  Urara,  an  island  off  Kabair,  and 
from  there  away  to  Matavat,  where  I  stayed  part  of  two  days. 
Called  at  Port  Weber  on  my  way  up.  On  the  I4th  returned 
to  Port  Hunter.  On  i6th  I  was  away  again  in  the  boat  to 
Port  Wesley  (Meoko),  to  select  land  for  teacher  at  Kerawara. 


SECOND   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE      291 

Mrs.  Danks  and  Mrs.  Brown  went  with  me.  On  Sunday  (ipth) 
I  preached  at  Port  Hunter  in  the  morning,  and  at  Waira 
in  the  afternoon,  going  on  to  Port  Wesley  in  the  evening. 
2Oth,  opened  two  churches,  one  at  Meoko,  and  the  other  at 
Utuan.  22nd,  left  very  early  for  Kabakada ;  stayed  there 
until  February  16,  superintending  and  helping  at  house  during 
Mr.  Danks's  absence  at  Port  Hunter.  During  that  time  I 
visited  old  Bulilalai,  and  at  last  got  him  to  pay  us  a  visit." 

I  give  also  the  following  extracts  from  my  diary  as  they 
were  written  at  the  time.  They  will,  I  think,  give  some  idea 
of  the  state  of  society  at  the  time  amongst  whites,  as  well  as 
amongst  natives,  of  the  work  which  was  done,  and  of  some 
of  the  difficulties  we  had  with  some  of  our  native  colleagues  : 
"  He  (Bulilalai)  brought  me  a  pig,  and  I  hope  now  he  feels 
himself  safe  with  us.  I  hear  he  has  lots  of  property  belong- 
ing to  Jamieson,  who,  there  is  little  doubt,  was  murdered  by 
his  orders. 

"  On  February  7  I  walked  to  Malakuna,  and  from  there 
took  our  boats  and  went  on  board  the  Halton  Castle,  Captain 
Angel.  She  has  called  in  here  on  her  way  to  New  Zealand. 
No  news,  no  newspapers.  She  left  on  February  8  for  Well- 
ington. I  got  very  wet  indeed  both  going  and  returning. 
Whilst  over  at  Matupit  Mr.  Blohm  and  I  made  many  inquiries 
about  the  disappearance  of  a  man  called  Tom  from  the  brig 
Adolph.  As  far  as  we  can  find  out,  there  was  a  quarrel 
on  board  on  Christmas  Day,  and  Tom  was  wounded  and 
cut  about  the  head  by  Captain  L.  with  an  iron  belaying 
pin.  He  was  afterwards  put  on  shore  by  the  ship's  boat. 
At  7  p.m.  he  went  to  the  carpenter's,  and  seemed  quite  quiet 
and  sensible.  He  asked  for  a  place  to  sleep,  but  the  carpenter 
told  him  to  go  to  Joni's  first,  and  if  he  could  not  get  a  bed 
there  then  he  could  sleep  in  his  outhouse.  From  this  there 
are  no  certain  accounts.  One  story  is  that  he  was  sleeping 
on  the  sand  spit  in  front  of  the  house  when  the  boat  returned 
in  the  night,  and  that  some  of  the  crew  murdered  him  by 
orders.  The  only  thing  which  is  certain  is  that  he  was  killed 


292  GEORGE    BROWN 

ashore.  A  stone  was  put  round  his  neck,  and  he  was  thrown 
into  the  harbour.  His  body  was  seen  floating  about  the 
harbour  afterwards.  The  strange  thing  about  the  affair  is 
that  neither  of  the  white  men  here  even  mentioned  the  affair, 
and  when  we  spoke  of  it  they  at  first  pretended  not  to  know 
j_what  had  become  of  the  man." 

"On  February  15  I  went  to  Man  Island,  and  had  a  very 
bad  attack  of  fever  on  the  way." 

"  On  March  3  I  left  again  for  New  Britain  in  the  new 
boat." 

"  On  Tuesday,  March  4,  I  did  a  very  foolish  thing.  I  wished 
to  inspect  the  land  selected  by  the  teachers  for  Samuela  at 
Birara,  and  so  I  started  in  a  canoe  immediately  after  having 
a  cup  of  cocoa,  expecting  to  be  back  for  a  late  breakfast. 
I  was,  however,  quite  out  in  my  calculations,  and  found  that  the 
place  was  very  much  farther  away  than  I  expected.  We  went 
several  miles  in  the  canoe,  then  landed  and  started  inland. 
We  had  to  go  first  through  some  few  miles  of  lowland  covered 
with  very  dense  bush,  and  full  of  fever,  I  think.  I  was  not 
nearly  recovered  from  my  recent  illness,  and  felt  a  cold,  clammy 
feeling  creeping  all  over  me  as  we  posted  through  the  lowlands 
as  fast  as  we  could.  We  walked  about  six  miles,  and  then 
came  to  the  chiefs  house.  Here  we  got  a  few  unripe  bananas, 
but  I  could  not  manage  to  eat  them  ;  and  as  I  failed  in  my 
endeavours  to  get  either  eggs  or  fowls  on  such  a  short  notice, 
I  had  to  go  without  my  dinner.  On  the  whole,  I  approved 
of  the  site  selected,  and  after  sitting  for  some  time  and 
having  a  short  service  we  started  for  Kininigunan  again.  On 
the  way  back  I  called  to  see  two  of  the  traders,  and  found 
one  of  them  suffering  very  much  from  fever.  He  had  put 
up  his  house,  a  miserable  shanty,  on  a  piece  of  land  bounded 
on  three  sides  by  a  swamp,  about  the  very  worst  site  on 
the  coast,  and  of  course  he  paid  the  penalty.  He  had  to 
remove  a  few  days  after  my  visit,  and  one  of  his  family  died. 
I  fortunately  got  a  cup  of  tea  about  4  p.m.,  which  staved  off 
a  nasty  headache,  and  then  reached  Peni's  house  again  at 


TWO   FIJIAN   LADIES   OF   HIGH    RANK. 


SECOND   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE      293 

sunset,  having  walked  the  last  mile  and  a  half  over  loose  sand, 
in  which  we  sank  up  to  our  ankles  almost  every  step.  Having 
just  recovered  from  a  severe  illness,  and  then  going  over 
20  miles  in  a  canoe  and  overland  without  any  food  from 
sunrise  to  sunset,  it  is  no  wonder  that  I  too  had  to  pay  the 
penalty.  However,  I  got  off  better  than  I  deserved,  and  next 
morning  felt  but  little  the  worse. 

"  Next  morning,  March  5,  I  baptized  the  son  of  Samuela 
and  Losaline  (Penijimani),  and  then  started  for  Raluana,  where 
I  had  to  open  a  nice  new  chapel.  The  teacher's  house  and 
the  chapel  here  have  unfortunately  been  built  on  sacred 
ground,  i.e.  ground  on  which  no  woman  or  any  of  the  un- 
initiated boys  can  go.  After  some  trouble  I  got  them  to 
remove  this  tabu  by  paying  them  for  it ;  and  then  we 
prepared  to  have  service.  It  took  an  hour,  however,  before 
we  could  manage  to  persuade  any  of  the  women  to  venture 
in.  Not  only  had  they  never  dared  to  go  on  the  land 
before,  but  it  was  quite  a  new  thing  for  women  and  men 
to  assemble  or  sit  together.  We  got  a  few  in,  however,  at 
last,  one  old  lady  being  very  conspicuous  in  a  large  white 
shirt.  I  had  made  a  special  appeal  to  this  woman  because 
she  was  the  wife  of  a  chief,  and  I  thought  some  other 
women  would  follow  if  she  set  the  example.  The  poor  little 
woman  after  consenting  to  come  to  the  church  no  doubt 
felt  that  she  ought  to  wear  some  clothing,  and  as  her 
entire  wardrobe  at  that  time  consisted  of  a  string  of 
beads,  or  a  piece  of  string  without  the  beads,  she 
naturally  went  to  the  teacher  and  asked  him  to  lend  her 
something.  He  had  nothing  available  but  a  new  white  shirt, 
which  she  gladly  accepted.  He  was  a  very  big  man,  and 
the  shirt,  even  if  it  could  be  considered  as  an  appropriate 
garment  for  a  chiefs  wife,  was  very  much  too  large  for  a 
woman  of  her  size.  The  sleeves  were  so  long  that  the  cuffs 
hung  down  far  below  the  tips  of  her  ringers,  and  when  she 
stood  up  to  sing  she  presented  such  a  ludicrous  appearance, 
and  appeared  to  be  so  very  uncomfortable,  that  I  could  not  help 


294  GEORGE    BROWN 

wishing  that  she  had  left  the  shirt  in  the  teacher's  box,  even 
if  she  had  to  come  to  me  as  the  others  did,  in  their  native 
costume  of  sunshine.  I  excused  her  from  standing  when  the 
next  hymn  was  sung,  as  the  sight  was  rather  too  much  for 
me,  though  neither  the  natives  nor  the  teachers  saw  anything 
to  smile  at  in  her  appearance. 

"  After  service  I  went  to  Karavia,  and  found  Samuela  and 
some  of  his  family  and  Peni's  wife  sick  with  fever.  There 
they  were,  lying  on  the  ground,  though  I  had  begged  and  en- 
treated them  to  make  raised  bedsteads.  Nay,  I  even  threat- 
ened at  our  last  meeting  to  suspend  and  send  back  to  Fiji 
any  teacher  who  did  not  do  so  ;  but  it  seemed  quite  unavailing. 
And,  worse  still,  there  was  the  quinine  bottle  untouched  in 
the  teacher's  box,  though  they  well  knew  its  value  and  how 
to  use  it.  It  seems  to  be  a  bad  trait  in  Fijian  character  that 
they  lose  heart  so  soon  when  they  are  sick,  and  apparently 
resign  themselves,  like  fatalists,  to  whatever  they  fancy  is  to 
be.  Samuela's  sickness  had  assumed  the  remittent  character, 
and  he  was  evidently  very  weak.  Fortunately  I  had  stimulants 
with  me,  and  I  gave  him  at  once  a  glass  of  brandy  and  ten 
grains  of  quinine,  leaving  with  him  a  similar  dose  for  the 
morning,  and  ordering  them  to  report  to  me  the  following 
day.  I  heard  here  bad  news  about  Ratu  Livai  being  very 
ill  at  Nodup,  and  so  determined  to  get  on  there  as  soon  as 
possible.  Called  at  Diwaon,  and  saw  the  site  selected  for 
Samuela's  house.  The  house  was  nearly  finished,  but,  as  usual 
when  the  teachers  have  to  be  trusted  to  select  the  site,  it  was 
a  very  poor  one.  There  were  plenty  of  bananas  on  the  ground, 
and  that  seems  to  have  blinded  them  to  the  fact  that  the 
drainage  from  the  hills  just  behind  must  flow  right  through 
it.  Got  back  to  Raluana  just  after  sunset  thoroughly  tired 
out.  I  intended  to  remain  here  all  night,  and  go  on  to  Nodup 
early  in  the  morning,  as  we  had  done  a  very  hard  day's  work  ; 
but  after  supper  I  found  that  sleep  was  out  of  the  question. 
I  kept  thinking  about  the  news  I  had  heard  of  Ratu  Livai's 
illness,  and  got  so  troubled  about  it  that  at  last  I  determined 


SECOND   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE      295 

to  go  on  at  once  in  the  moonlight.  As  soon  as  we  got  fairly 
out  in  the  bay  I  was  glad  to  find  that  there  was  no  wind  which 
would  require  me  to  keep  awake,  as  I  could  hold  out  no  longer. 
I  lay  down  on  the  seat,  and,  utterly  worn  out,  managed  to  sleep 
for  an  hour.  We  then  got  into  a  nasty  cross  sea  under  the 
Mother,  which  made  our  progress  very  slow,  and  we  did  not 
reach  Nodup  until  about  2  a.m.  Contrary  to  our  expectations, 
we  found  Ratu  Livai  very  much  better,  in  fact,  nearly  well. 
We  rested  all  next  day,  and  I  opened  the  new  church  here  in 
the  evening,  after  which  we  started  at  once  for  Kabakada. 

"  On  Friday,  March  7,  Mr.  Banks  left  for  Port  Hunter, 
and  I  remained.  I  was  not  at  all  well  on  Saturday,  but 
managed  to  preach  in  New  Britain  language  on  Sunday,  after 
which  I  was  ill  all  the  week  until  Mr.  Banks  returned  on 
Thursday.  I  left  in  the  boat  on  Friday,  I4th,  and  got  home 
only  to  be  ill  for  days.  In  fact,  I  was  scarcely  out  of  bed 
until  about  the  26th,  when  Mr.  Southwell  arrived  in  the 
Minnie  Low,  and  brought  us  letters  from  home. 

"  Sunday,  April  6.  Preached  at  Molot  this  morning,  and 
at  Kinawanua  in  the  evening,  to  good  congregations.  What 
a  change  there  has  been  effected  here  in  three  years !  To 
God  be  all  the  praise.  Just  twelve  months  to-day  since  the 
teachers  were  murdered.  Last  year  we  had  nothing  but  sick- 
ness and  death  at  this  season.  This  year  has  been  far  more 
healthy." 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS,  AND   A   BRIGHTER 
MORNING 


VII 

TROUBLOUS   DAYS,  AND   A   BRIGHTER 
MORNING 

AFTER  these  there  are  no  more  entries  in  my  diary  for  several 
months.  Though  I  kept  up  and  did  some  little  work  it  soon 
became  evident  that  I  was  seriously  ill,  and  that  unless  I 
left  the  Group  at  once,  and  got  medical  assistance,  there  was 
no  hope  of  my  recovery.  Very  fortunately,  our  kind  friend 
Mr.  Hernsheim  was  going  to  Cooktown  in  the  steam  launch 
Alice,  and  though  the  accommodation  on  such  a  small  vessel 
was  very  limited  he  very  kindly  offered  to  take  me.  We 
had  only  very  short  notice,  but  I  managed  to  get  ready,  and 
we  left  the  harbour  of  Makada  on  May  I,  1879.  My  wife 
and  our  three  children  had  to  remain  behind,  as  it  was  quite 
impossible  to  take  them  on  such  a  very  small  vessel.  My 
good  colleague,  Rev.  B.  Danks,  seems  to  have  been  very 
anxious  about  me,  as  I  found  out  afterwards.  He  wrote  to 
the  General  Secretary  under  date  April  30 :  "  Mr.  Brown 
leaves  here  for  Cooktown  to-morrow  in  the  steam  launch 
Alice,  which  belongs  to  Captain  Hernsheim.  Mr.  Brown  is 
very  ill — so  ill  that  I  am  very  much  concerned  about  the 
future.  In  all  probability  you  will  see  him  in  Sydney,  as  he 
thinks  of  going  on  from  Cooktown.  May  God  grant  him 
health,  for  he  is  almost  worn  out  with  continued  suffering." 
Mr.  Hernsheim,  or  Captain  Hernsheim,  as  we  always  called 
him,  was,  as  usual,  very  kind  indeed,  and  fortunately  we  had 
a  fine  passage  to  Cooktown.  I  knew  no  one  there  ;  but  a 
kind  friend  who  heard  that  a  sick  missionary  had  arrived 

299 


300  GEORGE    BROWN 

came  down  to  the  wharf,  and  very  kindly  took  me  to  his 
home,  where  I  stayed  until  a  steamer  was  going  south.  Mr. 
Hartley,  the  son  of  a  well-known  minister  of  the  Primitive 
Methodist  Church,  was  an  utter  stranger  to  me,  but  he  and 
his  good  wife  nursed  me  very  lovingly  whilst  I  was  in  Cook- 
town.  They  may  have  forgotten  the  stranger  whom  they 
took  into  their  home,  but  I  have  never  forgotten  their  kind- 
ness, and  I  trust  that  they  will  one  day  hear  the  Master 
say,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  My  brethren, 
even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  Me."  I  left  Cooktown  in 
the  S.S.  Egmont  for  Sydney  ;  and  here  again  I  was  fortunate, 
for  I  found  that  the  chief  officer  was  my  old  friend  Captain 
W.  C.  Thompson,  formerly  an  officer  in  the  John  Wesley.  He 
very  kindly  gave  me  a  berth  in  his  own  cabin  on  the  upper 
deck,  where  we  had  many  a  good  yarn  about  old  times  on 
our  journey  down  the  coast. 

At  Brisbane  I  stayed  for  some  days,  where  my  dear  friend 
Rev.  R.  Sellers  (now  Dr.  Sellers)  was  in  charge  of  the  Albert 
Street  Circuit.  I  well  remember  how  thankful  I  was  for 
the  glorious  winter  weather  of  Brisbane,  and  how  grateful  I 
felt  to  my  kind  friends  Rev.  F.  T.  Brentnall  and  Mr.  Rutledge 
(now  His  Honour  Sir  Arthur  Rutledge)  and  to  Dr.  Sellers 
for  their  kind  words,  both  in  public  and  in  private.  I  was 
sadly  in  need  of  a  little  sympathy  at  that  time,  and  the  kindness 
of  the  men  I  have  named,  and  many  others,  did  much  to 
cheer  and  strengthen  me.  I  had,  of  course,  to  lecture,  which 
I  did  in  the  Albert  Street  Church  on  May  19  ;  and  as  that 
was  my  first  public  appearance  since  the  event,  my  allusions 
to  our  action  in  the  Blanche  Bay  matter  naturally  excited 
some  attention,  and  were  fully  reported.  The  address  was 
well  received  by  the  audience,  and  I  had  no  reason  to  complain 
of  the  subsequent  criticisms  which  were  made  on  it  in  the 
public  Press. 

I  arrived  in  Sydney  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  was  very 
kindly  received  by  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  the  General  Secretary, 
and  by  many  friends  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Clarke, 


TROUBLOUS    DAYS  301 

then  living  at  Castlereagh  Street,  Redfern,  had,  I  found, 
made  a  special  request  that  I  should  stay  with  them  on  my 
arrival,  and  I  went  at  once  to  their  home.  Mr.  Clarke  was 
then  manager  of  a  bank  in  Pitt  Street.  I  have,  as  I  gratefully 
acknowledge,  received  much  kindness  from  many  kind  friends, 
but  I  always  remember  with  feelings  of  the  deepest  and  most 
sincere  gratitude  the  loving  care  and  tender  sympathy  which 
I  received  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarke,  and  from  every  member 
of  their  family.  It  was  well  known  before  my  arrival  that 
I  was  very  seriously  ill,  and  the  prospect  of  having  the  care 
of  a  man  in  such  a  condition  might  well  have  deterred  any  one 
from  offering  to  take  such  a  responsibility  ;  but  I  was  never 
allowed  to  feel  that  the  unwearied  care  and  attention  which 
Mrs.  Clarke  especially  bestowed  upon  me  was  at  all  onerous 
to  them,  or  considered  otherwise  than  as  a  work  which  they 
were  privileged  to  do  for  Christ's  sake. 

On  the  Sunday  after  my  arrival  in  Sydney  I  was  asked 
to  give  an  address  in  the  Bourke  Street  Church,  and,  though 
I  was  quite  unfit  to  do  so,  I  did  not  like  to  disappoint  the 
people.  I  managed  to  speak  with  comparative  ease  for  some 
time,  but  just  before  the  end  of  my  address  I  suddenly  collapsed. 
This  was  not  very  apparent  to  the  audience,  but  I  felt  at 
once  that  all  my  physical  strength  was  leaving  me,  and  I  am 
quite  certain  to  this  day  that  I  could  have  died  on  that  platform, 
and  that  I  should  indeed  have  done  so,  had  I  not  made  a  most 
determined  resistance.  Some  of  my  friends  were  in  tears 
when  they  spoke  to  me  after  the  service,  and  I  myself  felt 
very  weak  and  helpless.  I  got  rapidly  worse  after  this,  and 
though  I  had  the  best  medical  attendance  which  it  was  possible 
to  obtain,  I  made  no  apparent  progress.  After  several  con- 
sultations the  medical  gentlemen  informed  the  Board  of 
Missions  that  there  was  no  hope  of  my  recovery,  and  that, 
in  their  judgment,  I  ought  to  be  informed  of  that  fact.  The 
late  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  and  my  brother-in-law,  the  late  Rev.  W. 
Fletcher,  B.A.,  were  deputed  by  the  Board  to  convey  this 
opinion  to  me  ;  and,  needless  to  say,  they  did  so  as  kindly 


302  GEORGE    BROWN 

as  was  possible.  After  they  had  told  me  I  said  that  I  would 
like  to  see  our  children,  who  were  in  New  Zealand,  and  Mr. 
Chapman  decided  to  cable  for  them  at  once  ;  but  on  looking 
at  the  newspaper  we  found  that  there  was  no  steamer  leaving 
Auckland  for  at  least  ten  days;  so  I  requested  him  not  to 
send  the  message  until  just  before  the  date  on  which  they  could 
leave.  After  this  we  talked  together  for  a  while,  and  I  said 
to  Mr.  Chapman  :  "  Well !  all  I  can  say  is  that  I  do  not  feel 
inclined  to  die  just  now " ;  to  which  he  replied  in  his  own 
quaint  manner :  "  Well,  don't  die !  "  I  answered  :  "  I  assure  you 
I  don't  mean  to  die  just  now  if  I  can  help  it,  for  I  have  too 
much  work  to  do  yet."  I  firmly  believe  that  the  strong 
determination  to  live  until  some  of  that  work  was  done  was 
a  most  important  factor  in  my  recovery,  and  I  prayed  most 
earnestly  that  I  might  live  until  I  was  able  to  put  on  record 
some  of  the  knowledge  of  the  language  which  I  had  gained. 
There  was  no  other  white  man  at  that  time  who  knew  the 
language,  and  I  felt  that  if  I  were  spared  to  translate  one  of 
the  Gospels,  some  of  the  knowledge  I  had  acquired  would, 
at  all  events,  be  preserved.  I  fought  against  the  disease 
most  resolutely,  and  I  am  afraid  that  in  doing  so  I  was  the 
cause  of  much  distress  to  my  kind  hostess  by  my  apparently 
wilful  conduct.  She  and  all  my  friends  thought  I  should 
remain  quietly  in  bed,  but  I  persisted  in  rising  and  coming 
downstairs  every  day,  and  whenever  I  felt  a  bit  stronger, 
and  got  a  good  opportunity,  I  used  to  slip  out  of  the  house  and 
step  into  a  passing  omnibus  and  go  down  town,  where  I 
am  told  I  frightened  most  people  I  met  by  my  appearance. 
Very  slowly  the  fearful  rigors,  which  were  the  most  ominous 
symptoms,  got  a  little  less  frequent,  and  then,  to  the  amazement 
of  all,  I  announced  that,  instead  of  sending  for  the  children, 
I  would  go  to  New  Zealand  myself  and  see  them.  I  was  warned 
that  I  should  probably  die  at  sea,  but  I  told  my  friends  that 
heaven  was  as  near  us  at  sea  as  on  shore.  The  S.S.  Hero 
was  at  that  time  commanded  by  an  old  friend  of  mine,  Captain 
Logan,  and  I  took  a  passage  with  him.  He  often  said  after- 


TROUBLOUS    DAYS  303 

wards  that  when  I  went  on  board  all  he  could  see  was  "  a  hat, 
a  great  coat,  and  a  pair  of  boots."  I  had  not  been  allowed 
to  eat  anything  on  shore  but  milk  food,  sago,  arrowroot,  boiled 
flour,  etc.,  but  when  I  got  to  sea  I  asked  the  steward  for  a 
mutton  chop.  I  was  just  preparing  to  eat  the  forbidden  food 
when  the  captain  saw  me,  and  at  once  snatched  my  plate 
away,  called  the  steward,  and  absolutely  forbade  him  to  give 
me  anything  else  than  the  food  which  I  had  indignantly  classed 
under  the  generic  name  of  "  slops."  He  was  a  good  man  and 
an  earnest  Christian ;  and  I  think  now  that  if  he  had  allowed 
me  to  have  my  own  way  he  would  not  have  had  the  satisfaction 
of  landing  me  safely  in  Auckland. 

I  have  no  record  of  the  date  of  my  arrival  in  Auckland.  I 
remember  well,  however,  how  glad  I  was  to  see  again  our  five 
dear  children  whom  we  had  been  compelled  to  leave  behind  us 
when  we  returned  to  New  Britain  in  1877,  and  how  much  I 
was  cheered  and  encouraged  by  the  loving  sympathy  of  our 
many  dear  friends  in  New  Zealand.  I  gave  a  long  address  in 
the  Pitt  Street  Church,  on  August  6,  which  showed  that  the 
voyage  and  change,  and  a  few  weeks'  rest,  had  been  beneficial 
to  me,  though  I  was  still  very  weak.  This  address  was  given 
just  before  my  return  to  Australia,  as  I  find  notes  of  my  having 
lectured  in  Bathurst  and  other  places  in  August. 

We  left  Sydney  in  the  John  Wesley  on  Thursday,  September 
1 8,  for  Tonga,  Fiji,  Samoa,  and  New  Britain.  The  General 
Secretary,  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  and  the  Rev.  W.  Clarke,  who 
were  appointed  as  Deputation  to  Tonga ;  the  Rev.  J.  B.  and 
Mrs.  Watkin,  and  Mrs.  Chapman,  were  also  passengers.  We 
arrived  in  Tonga  on  Saturday,  October  4,  1879;  and  after  the 
Deputation  had  finished  the  work  which  was  entrusted  to  them 
by  the  Conference,  we  left  for  Fiji  on  Thursday,  October  30, 
and  reached  Levuka  on  November  3. 

On  our  arrival,  Mr.  Chapman  and  Mr.  Clarke  called  upon 
His  Excellency  Sir  Arthur  Gordon  (now  Lord  Stanmore),  the 
Governor  of  Fiji  and  High  Commissioner  for  the  Western 


304  GEORGE    BROWN 

Pacific,  who  informed  them  that  he  had  received  instructions 
from  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  make  a  careful  inquiry  into 
the  circumstances  attending  the  steps  taken  by  myself  and 
others  in  consequence  of  the  murder  of  certain  native  teachers 
in  New  Britain,  and  that  he  proposed  to  put  certain  questions 
to  me  with  reference  to  the  subject.  His  Excellency,  however, 
afterwards  decided  that  as  the  Chief  Judicial  Commissioner,  the 
Hon.  John  Gorrie,  who  was  Deputy  High  Commissioner  at  the 
time  of  the  occurrence,  was  absent  from  Levuka  on  vacation,  he 
would  defer  the  investigation  until  his  return.  As  my  case  was 
therefore  not  then  sub  judice,  His  Excellency  very  courteously 
included  me  in  an  invitation  to  dine  at  Government  House  with 
the  members  of  the  Deputation,  and  Revs.  F.  Langham  and 
A.  J.  Webb. 

Next  day  we  all  started  for  Bau  ;  but  soon  after  we  had  passed 
Government  House  we  saw  a  whale-boat  with  a  very  strong 
crew  coming  after  us.  As  it  was  evident  that  they  wished  to 
communicate  with  us  we  turned  back  to  meet  them.  I,  of 
course,  received  a  lot  of  sympathetic  banter  from  my  fellow- 
passengers  about  the  fate  which  awaited  me  when  the  boat 
reached  us.  However,  their  only  object  was  to  hand  me  a  letter, 
in  which  I  was  informed  that  H.M.S.  Emerald,  which  had  just 
arrived,  had  brought  despatches  containing  the  result  of  a 
judicial  inquiry  in  New  Britain  made  by  Captain  Purvis  of 
H.M.S.  Dance,  by  instructions  from  Commodore  Wilson.  A  very 
dear  friend  of  mine  sent  me  a  private  message  at  the  same  time 
to  say  that  the  reports  were  favourable.  So  we  went  on  our 
journey  with  much  satisfaction.  We  visited  Bau,  Viwa,  and 
Navuloa,  and  returned  to  Levuka  on  Saturday. 

On  Monday,  November  10,  Mr.  Chapman  and  Mr.  Clarke 
called  on  His  Excellency,  as  they  proposed  leaving  Fiji  on  the 
following  day.  His  Excellency  again  assured  them  that  he 
would  make  the  inquiries  himself  as  soon  as  possible,  but  before 
the  interview  was  finished  he  was  astonished  by  receiving  the 
intelligence  that  His  Honour,  the  Chief  Justice,  had  issued  a 
summons  against  me  for  manslaughter,  thus  taking  the  matter 


Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.   Berry. 


A    FIJIAN    CHIEF. 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  305 

out  of  his  hands,  and  soon  afterwards  Mr.  Chapman  received  a 
subpoena  to  appear  as  witness.  This  was  a  very  serious  matter, 
as  the  steamer  was  leaving  the  next  day  for  Sydney.  Mr. 
Chapman  called  on  the  Chief  Justice,  and  pleaded  to  be  allowed 
to  go,  as  he  had  no  material  evidence  to  give  ;  but  His  Honour 
absolutely  refused  to  sanction  his  departure.  I  had,  however, 
ascertained  that  the  probable  reason  for  detaining  Mr.  Chapman 
was  that  he  might  prove  that  the  letters  which  appeared  in  the 
Sydney  Morning  Herald  and  other  papers  were  written  by  me. 
This  was  important,  as  my  own  letters  were  practically  the  only 
evidence  against  me.  On  learning  this  I  called  upon  the 
Registrar  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  informed  him  that  it  was 
very  necessary  indeed  that  Mr.  Chapman  should  leave  Fiji  the 
following  day,  and  that  I  could  think  of  no  possible  reason  for 
his  detention  unless  it  were  to  prove  the  authorship  of  the 
letters  which  had  appeared  in  the  public  prints.  I  stated  that 
I  was  ready  to  admit  that  the  letters  were  written  by  me,  and  to 
sign  any  document  which  he  might  prepare  for  that  purpose, 
and  I  requested  him  to  submit  my  proposal  to  the  Chief  Justice 
with  a  view  to  obtaining  his  consent  to  Mr.  Chapman's 
departure.  Shortly  afterwards  I  met  His  Honour,  when  he 
told  me  that  if  I  would  write  him  a  letter  admitting  the  author- 
ship of  the  letters  he  would  allow  Mr.  Chapman  to  leave  the 
Colony.  This  I  did  at  once,  and  the  Deputation  left  next  day, 
November  1 1,  for  Sydney,  much  to  their  satisfaction. 

On  the  same  day  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Secretary  to 
the  High  Commissioner,  requesting  me  to  go  to  Government 
House.  As  no  intimation  was  given  of  the  nature  of  the 
interview,  I  supposed  that  His  Excellency  only  wished  to  ask  me 
some  questions,  and  so  went  alone.  On  my  arrival  at  Govern- 
ment House  I  was  shown  into  a  large  empty  room.  After 
waiting  awhile  His  Excellency  came  in,  wearing,  so  far  as  I 
remember,  his  D.C.L.  robes,  and  accompanied  by  the  Secretary 
to  the  High  Commissioner,  the  late  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston.  His 
Excellency  then  read  me  an  address  informing  me  of  the 
instructions  which  he  had  received  from  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 

20 


306  GEORGE    BROWN 

ment,  of  his  intentions  to  ask  me  certain  questions  regarding 
the  occurrence,  and  of  the  reason  which  had  prevented  him  from 
carrying  out  his  instructions  and  wishes.  After  this  he  came 
and  shook  hands  with  me.  As  I  was  up  to  that  time  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  the  proceedings  were  official,  I  asked  if  I  might 
be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  his  address,  to  which  His  Excellency 
replied :  "  Oh !  certainly,  Mr.  Brown,  the  proceedings  were 
official,  and  you  might  have  had  all  your  friends  present  if  you 
wished  them  to  be  here."  I  did  not  receive  the  copy  of  the 
address  for  some  few  days,  but  this  was  owing  to  the  wise  and 
kindly  consideration  of  my  sincere  friend,  the  Secretary  to  the 
High  Commissioner,  who  feared  that  we  might  make  use  of  it 
in  a  way  that  would  have  made  the  position  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
and  perhaps  also  my  own,  very  unpleasant.  He  therefore 
deemed  it  advisable  not  to  forward  His  Excellency's  deliverance 
for  publication  until  after  the  proceedings  in  the  Supreme 
Court  on  the  I3th.  The  Minutes  of  the  proceedings  as  furnished 
to  me  are  as  follows : 

"  Extract  from  the  Minutes  of  Proceedings  before  Her  Majesty's 
High  Commissioner  for  the  Western  Pacific, — November 
n,  1879. 

"JOHN  B.  THURSTON, 

"  Secretary  to  the  Commissioner. 

"  The  Reverend  George  Brown  being  in  attendance,  the 
High  Commissioner  said  : 

"  Mr.  Brown,  before  leaving  England  I  received  the  instruc- 
tions of  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  make  a  careful  inquiry 
into  the  circumstances  attending  the  steps  taken  by  yourself 
and  others  in  consequence  of  the  murder  of  certain  native 
teachers  in  New  Britain,  and  it  was  my  intention  to-day  to  have 
taken  advantage  of  your  presence  in  Levuka  to  put  to  you 
certain  questions  with  reference  to  this  subject. 

"  I  learn,  however,  that  a  criminal  charge  arising  out  of  those 
transactions  has  been  preferred  against  you  in  the  High 
Commissioner's  Court,  and  that  you  are  to-morrow  to  be  called 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  307 

upon  to  answer  to  that  charge  before  the  Chief  Judicial  Com- 
missioner. I  am  therefore  precluded  from  now  putting  any 
question  to  you  which  might  affect  your  plea,  nor  do  I  think  it 
would  be  possible  for  me  with  propriety  to  continue  at  present 
the  investigation  with  which  I  have  been  charged.  I  do  not 
know  what  evidence  may  be  adduced  before  the  Chief  Judicial 
Commissioner  in  support  of  the  charge  which  has  been  made, 
and,  no  doubt,  whatever  it  may  be  it  will  be  impartially  and 
carefully  considered  by  him.  But  I  think  it  only  due  to  you 
to  say  that  thus  far  the  evidence  which  has  been  submitted 
to  me,  which  includes  your  own  letters,  the  statements  of  various 
parties  concerned,  and  a  mass  of  depositions  lately  taken  by 
the  captain  of  H.M.S.  Dance>  would  not  have  led  me  to 
institute,  or  to  recommend  the  institution  of,  a  criminal  pro- 
secution. In  saying  this,  I  do  not  inquire  whether  or  no  the 
action  taken  by  you  was  in  accordance  with  your  calling  as  a 
missionary  ;  that  is  a  point  with  which  I  have  nothing  to  do. 
Your  acts  must  be  regarded  by  me  in  the  same  light  as  those 
of  any  planter  or  settler  in  the  group  where  you  were  resident. 
Neither  do  I  pronounce,  or  even  form  any  opinion,  as  to  the 
strict  necessity  of  the  measures  taken.  They  may  have  been 
wholly  necessary,  or  they  may  have  been  partially  so,  and  yet 
pushed  too  far.  They  may  even  have  been  hasty  and 
unnecessary,  but  there  is  a  vast  difference  between  indiscretion 
and  criminality ;  and  as  I  have  before  observed,  nothing  which 
has  come  before  me  would  lead  me  to  impute  to  you  any 
suspicion  of  crime.  Unless,  therefore,  other  evidence  which  I 
have  not  yet  seen  and  which  would  produce  a  different  impres- 
sion on  my  mind  had  been  adduced  in  the  course  of  the  inquiry, 
I  should  not  have  reported  that  the  case  was  one  on  which  to 
found  judicial  proceedings. 

"  I  therefore  cannot  but  hope  that  the  evidence  to  be  adduced 
to-morrow  may  lead  to  a  similar  conclusion,  and  will  free  you 
from  all  imputation  of  criminality,  thereby  enabling  me,  at  no 
distant  day,  to  renew  the  investigation  now  so  unfortunately 
interrupted." 


3o8  GEORGE    BROWN 

This   deliverance   naturally  gave   great   satisfaction    to   my 
many    friends ;    but     there    still     remained     some    cause    for 
anxiety,  as  it  was  well  known  in  Levuka  that  strained  relations 
existed  between  the  two  highest  officials  in  the  Colony  on  this 
matter.     His  Excellency  the  High  Commissioner  felt  that  the 
duty  of  making  the  necessary  inquiries  devolved  upon  him,  in 
accordance  with  the  instructions  which  he  had  received  from 
Her  Majesty's  Government,  but  His  Honour  Sir  John  Gorrie, 
who  was  Chief  Judicial  Commissioner,  was   declared  to  have 
asserted  his  right  to  conduct  the  inquiry,  and  his  determination 
to  do  so.     Many  statements  were  made  at  the  time  as  to  the 
reasons   which   actuated    His    Honour   in   the  steps  which   he 
took.     He  had  always  been  persona  grata  with  the  Aborigines 
Protection    Society    since    the    days    of    the    prosecution    of 
Governor   Eyre   for   his   actions   in    suppressing   the    Jamaica 
rebellion,  in  which  prosecution  Mr.  Gorrie,  as  barrister,  took  a 
leading  part,  and  it  was  thought  that  much  of  the  zeal  which 
he  manifested  was  due  to  his  desire  still  to  occupy  the  same 
good  position  in  the  opinion  of  the  members  of  that  influential 
and  useful  Society.     He  was,  at  all  events,  considered  by  most, 
if  not  by  all  the  foreign  residents  of   Fiji  to  be  primarily,  if 
not  solely,  the  instigator  of  the  'action  which  was  taken.     My 
good    friend,    the   late  Rev.    Dr.    Fison,    writing   to    the    Fiji 
Times  on  the  matter,  had,  as  a  resident  in  a  Crown  Colony,  to 
write    very   cautiously,   but    his    meaning  was   very   apparent 
when,  in  referring  to  His  Excellency's  remarks  made  to  me, 
he  said :   "  It   is  clear  from   the  foregoing   that   criminal   pro- 
ceedings  had  already  been  commenced,  but  it  is  not  so  clear 
as  to  who   initiated  them.     The  order  for  the  summons  was 
obtained    upon    the   information    of  the   Attorney-General   of 
Fiji ;  but,  as  he  is  not  an  officer  of  the  High   Commissioner's 
Court,  there  must  of  course  have  been  some  prosecutor  behind 
him  to  set  him  in  motion.     Inasmuch,  therefore,  as  he  could 
only  have   made   the   application  in  his  professional  capacity 
as   a   barristcr-at-law   entitled   to   audience   before   the   Court, 
and  as  the  Crown  did  not  see  cause  to  prosecute,  one  is  lost  in 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  309 

bewildering  speculation  as  to  the  source  of  the  impulse  which 
moved  him." 

The    next    intelligence    which    we    heard    was     that    the 
Attorney-General  of  Fiji  had   withdrawn  from  the  case,  and 
refused  to  prosecute,  so  that  I   found  myself  in   the  singular 
position  of  a  man  who  had  received  a  summons  to  answer  a 
criminal  charge  for  which  there  was  no  prosecutor.     I  had  from 
the  very  first  courted  the  fullest  investigation,  and  had  come 
to   Fiji  in  opposition  to   the   advice  of  many  kind  friends  in 
New  South  Wales  and  Fiji,  who  strongly  urged  me  not  to  do 
so.     I  did  this  because  I  felt  that  it  was  due  to  the  Missionary 
Society  and  myself  that  the  matter  should  be  fairly  considered 
by  the  only  tribunal  which  had  the  legal  right  to  do  so,  and 
that  after  that  had  taken  place  I  should,  whatever  the  result 
might  be,  be  in  a  position  to  speak  and   to  write  in  defence  of 
our  action,  and   to  submit   it   to   the   decision  of  my   fellow- 
countrymen,  which  I  considered  to  be  a  higher  tribunal  than 
even   the  Supreme  Court  in  Fiji.     As  I  had  thus  deliberately 
come  to  Fiji,  and  had  of  my  own  accord  placed  myself  within 
the    jurisdiction   of   the    Court,   the   fact   of    there    being   no 
prosecution  would  not  have  given  me  entire  satisfaction  had  I 
not  known  that  the  matter  had  already  been  fully  investigated 
on    the    spot    by    Captain    Purvis   of    H.M.S.   Danes,    whose 
decision  was  distinctly  favourable  to  us  all.     When  we  were 
aware   that    the    Attorney-General    had   withdrawn   from   the 
case  all  doubts  as  to  the  issue  of  the  proceedings  were  removed, 
as   we  well   knew   that    no   British    judge   could   occupy   the 
positions   of  prosecutor,  judge,   and  jury  in   any  part  of  the 
Empire.     Mr.  Solomon,  a  well-known  and  very  able   barrister 
in  Fiji,  was   instructed   by  my  old   and  well-tried  friend,  the 
late  Rev.  Dr.  Langham,  to  appear  on  my  behalf,  and  I  duly 
appeared  at  the  Court  on  Thursday,  November  13,  in  answer 
to  the  summons   I   had  received.     There  was  no  opportunity 
given  for   Counsel   to  speak,  as   the  Chief  Justice,  as  will   be 
seen  from  the   address  which   he  made  to  me,  had  evidently 
decided   to   consider   the  deliverance   of    His   Excellency  the 


3io  GEORGE   BROWN 

Governor  as  analogous  to  that  of  a  Grand  Jury,  and  so  did 
not  allow  the  matter  to  be  discussed.  When  the  case  was 
called  I  rose  from  my  seat  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Solomon,  and 
the  Chief  Justice  addressed  me  as  follows  ; 

"  Mr.  Brown,  you  are  aware  that  these  proceedings  were 
originally  commenced  on  the  receipt  of  your  own  letter  which 
I  received  as  Acting  High  Commissioner,  narrating  the  events 
which  had  taken  place  in  New  Britain.  No  summons  was 
actually  issued,  as  it  was  hoped,  either  that  the  investigation 
would  take  place  in  New  Britain,  or  that  you  would  come  to 
Levuka.  On  your  arrival  recently,  the  summons  was  ac- 
cordingly issued,  and  you  are  here  to-day  to  answer  it ;  but  in 
the  meantime — for  much  delay  has  necessarily  taken  place — a 
very  full  inquiry  into  the  circumstances  of  the  affair  in  New 
Britain  has  been  made  by  a  competent  naval  officer  under  the 
authority  of  the  Commodore,  and  the  result  of  that  inquiry 
has  been,  since  your  arrival  in  Levuka,  received  by  the  High 
Commissioner.  No  inquiry  by  a  naval  officer  can,  of  course, 
be  taken  as  a  legal  investigation  where  an  offence  has  been 
committed  by  a  British  subject  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Order  in  Council,  but  such  inquiries  are  most  useful  in 
supplying  the  High  Commissioner  with  information,  and  to 
enable  him  to  determine  whether  acts  done  in  the  Western 
Pacific  ought,  or  ought  not,  to  be  regarded  as  offences,  and  to 
be  prosecuted  as  such  in  the  public  interest.  I  have  received 
from  the  High  Commissioner  communication  of  the  documents 
supplied  by  the  Commodore,  with  an  expression  of  His 
Excellency's  opinion  as  to  whether  you  ought  to  be  prosecuted 
as  for  an  offence  under  the  Order  in  Council  or  not,  and  that 
opinion  is,  that  yours  is  not  such  a  case  as  ought  to  be  so 
prosecuted.  The  High  Commissioner,  as  you  are  aware,  has 
not  merely  executive  authority,  with  power  to  authorise  counsel 
to  prosecute  for  the  public  interest,  but  he  is,  by  the  constitution 
of  the  High  Commissioner's  Court,  the  head  of  that  Court,  to 
whose  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  institution  of  pro- 
ceedings other  judges  of  that  Court  are  bound  to  give  that 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  311 

respect  and  deference  to  which  it  so  well  entitled.  I  therefore, 
in  these  circumstances,  do  not  propose  to  proceed  further  with 
this  matter  ;  indeed,  there  is  in  point  of  fact  no  prosecutor 
(the  Attorney-General  was  here  asked  if  this  was  not  so,  and 
he  replied,  Yes),  and  you  are  accordingly  free  to  depart." 

I  received  very  hearty  congratulations  from  my  many  friends 
as  soon  as  the  Court  adjourned.  It  was  indeed  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  to  know  that  all  through  this  affair  I  had  the  full  sym- 
pathy, not  only  of  all  my  ministerial  brethren,  but  also  of  the 
whole  of  the  residents  in  Fiji.  I  had  received  an  intimation 
some  days  before  that  a  number  of  the  residents  in  Levuka 
intended  to  invite  me  to  a  public  dinner  after  the  trial,  the 
successful  issue  of  which  was  not  then  doubtful,  as  an  expression 
of  their  sympathy ;  but  this  I  declined  with  many  thanks,  as 
I  was  very  anxious  indeed  to  proceed  at  once  on  our  voyage.  I 
can  now  tell  why  I  was  so  anxious  to  get  to  sea.  It  will  be 
remembered  that,  soon  after  our  arrival  in  Fiji,  H.M.S.  Emerald 
arrived,  bringing  the  despatches  containing  the  report  of  the 
inquiry  made  in  New  Britain  by  Captain  Purvis,  of  H.M.S.  Dance. 
She  also  brought  as  prisoner  a  half-caste  Tonga  (Mr.  J.  K.),  who 
was  accused  of  having  committed  at  least  two  murders  in  New 
Britain.  As  I  knew  the  man  well  I  visited  him  in  the  gaol  at 
Levuka,  and  reminded  him  of  the  many  warnings  which  I  had 
given  him  of  the  fearful  effects  of  intemperance,  more  especially 
upon  a  man  of  his  temperament  and  disposition.  I  also  urged 
that  if  he  should  regain  his  liberty  he  would  never  again  indulge 
in  the  practice  which  had  led  him  to  the  commission  of  such 
fearful  crimes,  and  this  he  faithfully  promised  to  do.  I  visited 
this  man  simply  because  I  felt  a  great  sympathy  for  him,  and 
knew  that  when  he  was  sober  he  was  one  of  the  quietest  and 
most  obliging  of  men  I  have  ever  known.  As  soon,  however 
as  he  took  any  intoxicating  drink  he  became  most  quarrel- 
some, and  was  eager  to  fight  even  his  best  friends.  As  soon 
as  I  returned  from  this  visit  I  began  to  think  that  I  had  acted 
imprudently  in  visiting  the  prisoner,  and  I  was  very  much 
afraid  that  if  the  Chief  Justice  knew  that  I  was  in  New  Britain 


312  GEORGE    BROWN 

at  the  time  of  the  first  alleged  murder  committed  by  K.,  and 
that  I  had  myself  reported  the  fact  to  the  High  Commissioner, 
he  would  issue  a  subpoena  summons  to  me,  and  I  should  thus 
be  prevented  from  proceeding  on  my  voyage.  This  it  was 
which  made  me  so  anxious  to  get  to  sea,  and  I  instructed 
Captain  Mansell  to  be  fully  prepared  to  weigh  anchor  im- 
mediately after  the  matter  was  decided.  This  he  did,  and  as 
soon  as  I  was  "  free  to  depart "  I  said  good-bye  to  my  many 
kind  friends  and  went  on  board  the  John  Wesley.  There  was  no 
wind,  however,  and  we  were  compelled  to  wait  until  the  next 
day  (Friday),  when  we  weighed  anchor  and  tried  to  get  through 
the  passage ;  but  the  wind  failed  us,  and  we  had  to  drop  down 
to  another  part  of  the  lagoon,  and  anchor  for  the  night  just  in 
front  of  Sir  John  Gorrie's  house.  I  was  not  very  comfortable, 
especially  as  I  knew  that  His  Honour  had  said  to  one  of  our 
ministers  after  the  trial  that  I  should  not  have  been  free  to 
depart  if  he  could  have  prevented  it.  Next  morning  (Saturday), 
however,  the  wind  was  fair,  and  we  were  soon  at  sea,  and 
with  our  sails  full  and  the  sheets  hauled  taut,  we  were  glad  to 
dip  the  flag,  and  again  say  good-bye  to  our  many  kind  friends 
on  shore. 

Before  giving  the  concluding  part  of  this  episode  I  wish  to 
place  on  record  my  very  sincere  thanks  to  all  my  brethren  in 
Fiji,  more  especially  to  my  dear  old  friend  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Langham,  for  their  unwearying  labours  on  my  behalf,  and  for 
their  loving  sympathy  with  me.  Dr.  Langham  indeed  was  more 
concerned  about  the  issue  than  I  was,  and  I  well  remember  his 
saying  to  the  brethren  in  plaintive  protest :  "  What's  the  good  of 
our  bothering  about  this  affair  when  Brown  himself  doesn't  seem 
to  care  a  farthing  how  it  goes  ?  Here  are  we  distressing  ourselves 
with  anxiety  and  fear,  and  he  is  quite  unconcerned."  No  man 
was  so  anxious  as  my  much-loved  old  friend,  and  it  was  a  great 
sorrow  to  me  when  his  anxiety  caused  one  of  those  painful 
seizures  from  which  he  suffered  during  the  last  years  of  his 
labours  in  Fiji.  The  late  Rev.  A.  J.  and  Mrs.  Webb,  who  were 
then  stationed  at  Levuka,  were  also  very  kind  indeed  to  me ; 


I 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  313 

as  also  Revs.  W.  W.  Lindsay  and  I.  Rooney.  The  Rev.  L.  Fison 
was  then,  as  ever  after,  one  of  the  best  friends  I  have  ever  had. 
His  wise  counsels  were  invaluable  to  us  all,  and  the  able  manner 
in  which  he  stated  the  whole  case  in  the  public  journals,  and 
the  manly  and  yet  tender  sympathy  which  he  expressed,  did 
much  to  cheer  and  strengthen  me,  not  only  at  the  time,  but 
throughout  the  whole  of  my  life. 

Before  leaving  Fiji  I  received,  through  the  courtesy  of  my 
friend,  the  late  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston,  K.C.M.G.,  then  Secretary  to 
the  High  Commissioner  and  Colonial  Secretary,  and  afterwards 
the  Governor  of  Fiji,  copies  of  the  report  of  Captain  Purvis,  and 
also  of  the  whole  of  the  evidence  of  whites  and  natives,  taken 
on  oath  at  the  investigation  made  by  him  in  New  Britain.  I 
do  not  think  it  necessary  to  give  the  latter,  and  will  only  say 
that  they  were  all  distinctly  favourable.  They  also  showed 
that,  as  I  anticipated,  the  number  of  deaths  was  very  much 
exaggerated  at  the  time.  When  the  various  witnesses  were 
examined  on  oath,  only  one  man — and  he  was  a  Duke  of  York 
native — was  found  who  could  testify  that  he  had  seen  ten 
bodies ;  the  others  only  saw  from  two  to  seven  men  who  had 
been  killed. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  that  part  of  Captain  Purvis's 
report  which  bears  upon  the  case. 

"  Dana  at  Sea, 
"  Lat.  2°  25'  3"  ;  Lon.  152°  3'  9", 

"  September  21,  1879. 

"Sir, — In  obedience  to  your  orders  to  make  a  full  inquiry 
respecting  the  action  taken  by  the  Rev.  George  Brown  in 
carrying  war  against  the  natives  of  New  Britain  in  April  1878,  I 
have  the  honour  to  make  the  following  report : 

"  In  consequence  of  the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  the  event, 
most  of  the  white  population  who  could  have  thrown  any  light 
on  the  subject  have  either  left  or  died. 

"  I  have,  however,  obtained  the  evidence  of  two  respectable 
white  men,  Mr.  Powell,  late  master  of  the  ketch  Star  of  the 
East,  and  Mr.  Southwell  (a  native  of  Boston,  U.S.),  the  latter 


314  GEORGE    BROWN 

trading  for  the  German  firm  of  Messrs.  Goddefroy  at  Kabakada 
at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  also  several  Fijian  and  Samoan 
teachers. 

"  From  Mr.  Powell's  evidence  I  gather  that  Mr.  Brown, 
previous  to  taking  action,  endeavoured  to  obtain  some  apology 
from  the  natives,  but  failing  in  that  he  returned  to  Port  Hunter 
and  there  assembled  all  the  available  white  residents  to  obtain 
from  them  their  views  on  what  seemed  to  him  a  most  serious 
crisis. 

"  The  counsel  thus  called  together  represented  all  the  various 
interests  of  the  island,  both  English  and  German,  and  all  urged 
Mr.  Brown  to  take  immediate  steps  to  suppress  the  impending 
rising  of  which  they  seemed  assured.  This  evidence  is  borne  out 
by  Ratu  Livai,  a  Fijian  chief  and  missionary  teacher,  who  was 
in  New  Britain  at  the  time  of  the  murder,  and  who,  in  virtue  of 
his  rank  as  chief,  was  called  to  the  council  of  war. 

"  Mr.  Southwell  (who  evidently  was  the  means  of  saving  the 
unfortunate  wives  of  the  murdered  men  from  being  eaten)  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  expedition,  being  at  Kabakada,  New 
Britain,  the  whole  time.  His  evidence,  therefore,  is  most 
important.  He  considers  that  had  no  steps  been  taken  to 
revenge  the  murder  of  the  teachers,  no  white  man's  life  would 
have  been  safe.  He  is  also  of  opinion  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  have  left  the  matter  till  the  arrival  of  a  man-of-war  : 
and  in  this  Mr.  Powell  agrees. 

"  There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  between  these  two  witnesses 
as  to  whether  the  Duke  of  York  natives  would  have  followed 
those  of  New  Britain,  Mr.  Powell  considering  they  would,  and 
Mr.  Southwell  being  of  a  contrary  opinion. 

"  Most  of  the  native  teachers,  however,  are  of  Mr.  Powell's 
opinion,  Aminio  Bale  stating  that  the  Rev.  Brown's  wife 
was  threatened,  and  his  (Aminio's)  wife  had  a  spear  pointed 
at  her. 

"In  reviewing  the  evidence  it  does  not  appear  to  me  that 
the  Rev.  Brown  did,  on  his  own  responsibility,  make  war  on 
the  New  Britain  people,  that  the  action  taken  was  by  the 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  315 

united  voices  of  those  persons  who  were  best  able  to  judge 
of  the  circumstances,  several  of  whom  had  been  a  consider- 
able time  in  the  islands,  and  knew  thoroughly  the  native 
character. 

"  The  question  now  arises  whether  the  Rev.  Brown,  in  his 
capacity  as  clergyman  and  missionary,  should  have  been  present 
in  the  attack.  This,  I  think,  may  be  answered  by  the  fact 
that  the  disturbance  had  commenced  by  the  killing  and  eating 
of  his  teachers,  and  that  the  excitement  of  the  natives  in  conse- 
quence placed  the  lives  of  the  white  men  and  the  other  native 
teachers  in  jeopardy,  so  that  the  Rev.  Brown  could  not  fail  to  be 
present  in  order  to  give  the  full  weight  of  his  authority  to  the 
proceedings.  He,  however,  appears  to  have  spent  most  of  the 
time  on  the  beach  trying  to  bring  the  natives  of  some  of 
the  other  districts  to  reason,  and  was  not  personally  in  any  of 
the  places  where  most  of  the  natives  were  killed.  I  therefore 
think  Mr.  Brown,  having  regard  for  the  safety  of  those  people 
entrusted  to  his  care,  could  hardly  have  acted  otherwise  than  he 
did.  .  .  , 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  C.  PURVIS. 

"To  COMMODORE  CRAWFORD  WILSON,  etc.,  etc." 

As  this  is  practically  all  that  I  shall  have  to  say  on  this 
matter,  beyond  giving  in  its  proper  order  the  resolution  of 
the  General  Conference,  I  now  give  a  copy  of  a  letter  which 
I  addressed  to  T/ie  Australasian,  in  answer  to  a  paragraph 
which  appeared  in  that  journal.  I  do  this  because  it  con- 
tains a  re'sume'  of  the  whole  case,  and  because  it  gives  me 
the  opportunity  of  stating  that  after  the  publication  of  that 
letter  I  received  nothing  but  the  most  kindly  sympathy  from 
the  editor  of  that  important  and  influential  newspaper. 

"TO   THE   EDITOR  OF   'THE  AUSTRALASIAN.' 

"Sir, — In  your   issue  of  September  25,  just  received  here, 
I  notice  the  following  remarks :  '  Instances  of  arbitrary  action 


316  GEORGE    BROWN 

on  the  part  of  missionaries  of  the  Gospel  are  becoming  un- 
pleasantly frequent.  It  is  not  long  since  the  Rev.  G.  Brown, 
of  Duke  of  York  Island,  commanded  "  the  army  of  revenge," 
which  exacted  such  bloody  satisfaction  for  certain  native 
outrages.'  I  feel  certain,  sir,  that  you  must  have  inserted 
these  remarks  either  from  forgetfulness  or  from  ignorance  of 
the  real  facts  of  the  case,  as  elicited  from  the  official  inquiries 
made  both  here,  on  the  spot,  and  in  Fiji.  Will  you  allow 
me,  please,  to  place  before  you  very  briefly  my  own  case, 
and  ask  you  to  consider  it  fairly,  without  reference  to  sects 
or  to  societies  ;  without  favour,  as  also  without  prejudice  to 
me  because  I  am  a  missionary ;  but  with  simple,  impartial 
justice,  because  I  am  an  Englishman  ? 

"  I  was  placed  suddenly  in  circumstances  of  almost 
unparalleled  difficulty ;  a  fearful  responsibility  involving  the 
life  or  death  of  numbers  of  my  fellow-countrymen  and  fellow- 
labourers  was  suddenly  thrust  upon  me,  and  in  that  position  we 
did  that  which  I  then  thought  to  be  the  only  means  of  saving 
our  own  lives  and  the  lives  of  those  under  our  care.  I  still  think 
that  we  did  right,  but  I  cannot  and  do  not  blame  those  who 
may  think  differently  ;  and  I  cannot  in  charity  wish  that  any  of 
them  may  ever  be  placed  in  a  similar  position.  I  do,  however, 
claim  that  my  actions  and  the  reasons  alleged  for  them  only  be 
judged,  and  that  I  may  not  have  motives  imputed  to  me  which 
certainly  never  influenced  my  conduct. 

"  In  April  1878  four  of  our  teachers  were  foully  murdered 
and  eaten  on  New  Britain,  and  the  life  of  every  white  man 
or  foreigner  in  the  group  was  not  only  placed  in  great  jeopardy, 
but  was  actually  and  openly  threatened.  The  few  white  men 
met  and  earnestly  urged  immediate  action  to  prevent  an  actual 
and  imminent  danger,  namely,  the  murder  in  detail  of  every 
white  man  and  teacher,  and  the  same  fate,  or  a  worse  one,  for 
their  wives  and  children.  The  few  traders  themselves  supplied 
the  arms  for  this  act  of  self-defence,  as  we  had  not  a  musket 
which  could  be  used  ;  and  we  united  with  them.  Our  action  was 
entirely  approved  by  the  natives  themselves  as  a  necessary  act 


TROUBLOUS    DAYS  317 

of  self-preservation,  and  one  quite  in  accordance  with  their  own 
ideas  of  justice.  The  bones  of  some  of  the  murdered  men  were 
found  in  the  small  villages  which  were  burnt,  and,  as  far  as 
we  can  possibly  know,  only  the  actual  perpetrators  and  partici- 
pators of  the  murders  suffered.  Peace  was  made  the  next  day, 
and  we  have  ever  since  been  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with 
the  people. 

"  Now  first,  I  would  ask,  Did  we  do  wrong  in  defending  our 
lives  and  the  lives  of  our  wives  and  children  from  a  number  of 
cannibals  who  had  tasted  blood,  had  made  a  good  deal  of  money 
by  selling  portions  of  the  bodies  of  our  comrades  far  and  wide, 
and  who  openly  declared  their  intentions  to  have  more  to  use 
for  the  same  profitable  purpose  ?  Or,  to  narrow  the  case,  as  you 
so  frequently  use  my  name,  did  I  do  wrong  in  taking  part  in 
this  affair  ?  My  own  life  was  certainly  not  in  imminent  danger 
just  at  that  time,  and  we  on  Duke  of  York  Island  might, 
perhaps,  have  saved  ourselves  for  that  present  time — though  in 
the  opinion  of  some  even  that  was  doubtful — but  the  lives  of  my 
fellow-countrymen  and  fellow-labourers  were  certainly  in  most 
imminent  peril,  and  as  a  matter  of  undoubted  fact,  I  was  only 
just  in  time  to  save  the  lives  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the 
murdered  men.  Should  I  have  done  right  then,  sir,  in  staying 
at  home  in  safety  and  leaving  my  companions  in  peril,  the  poor 
fellows  who  had  followed  me  here  from  their  homes  in  Fiji,  to 
perish  miserably  by  the  hands  of  cruel  savages,  ignorant,  as  they 
were  then,  even  of  the  very  name  of  Christianity,  knowing  as  I 
did  that  I  was  the  only  one  who  was  able  to  prevent  it  ?  Would 
I  not  have  been  branded  deservedly  as  a  mean,  contemptible 
coward,  who  had  led  men  and  women,  and  children  too,  into 
dangers  which  he  was  afraid  to  share,  and  had  left  them  to 
perish  miserably  when  he  could  have  saved  their  lives  ?  Come 
what  may,  I  am  devoutly  thankful  that  my  children  and  my 
friends  have  no  occasion  to  blush  for  such  a  disgrace  as  that.  I 
have  had  trouble  and  suffering  enough,  sir,  about  this  matter — 
harder  to  bear  because  I  have  hitherto  been  almost  compelled 
to  silence,  and  have  had  to  hear  my  good  name  traduced  by 


318  GEORGE    BROWN 

some  without  having  the  power  to  speak  in  my  own  defence  ; 
but  I  have  never  once  repented  my  share  in  the  transaction. 
Bitterly  have  I  regretted  the  necessity  of  it,  but  I  have  never 
doubted  the  justice  of  the  action  ;  and  hard  as  it  has  been  to  hear 
the  adverse  criticisms  of  the  few  who  have  been  utterly  unable 
to  realise  the  position  in  which  we  were  placed,  I  am  still  thank- 
ful that  my  own  conscience  is  clear.  Had  I  acted  as  some  of 
my  fireside  critics  tell  me,  I  should  have  been  for  ever  degraded 
in  my  own  eyes,  and  would  never  again  have  dared  to  look  an 
English  audience  in  the  face.  I,  sir,  could  never  have  talked 
any  nonsense  about  the  glories  of  martyrdom  when  I  knew  well 
that  it  was  no  question  of  martyrdom  at  all,  but  that  the  men 
had  been  murdered  because  a  lot  of  cannibals  who  had  never 
heard  of  Christianity  wished  to  eat  them  or  to  make  money  by 
selling  their  limbs  to  others,  as  they  had  already  done  with  our 
teachers,  and  that  I,  who  might  have  saved  them,  had  been  so 
much  '  afraid  of  what  people  would  say,'  that  I  failed  to  do  so, 
and  even  refused  them  the  means  of  saving  themselves.  As  it 
is,  I  am  not  ashamed  or  afraid  to  stand  before  any  company  of 
Englishmen  in  any  part  of  the  world  to  tell  them  our  tale,  and 
to  let  them  judge. 

"  I  have  shown  my  love  for  the  natives  by  giving  the  best 
years  of  my  life  to  promote  their  best  interests,  both  temporal 
and  spiritual,  and  the  fact  that  even  these  savages  here  esteem 
and  respect  us  as  their  best  friends,  and  that  I  still  enjoy  the 
confidence  of  my  brethren,  should  surely  have  some  effect  in 
the  consideration  of  this  matter.  I  must  ask  you,  however, 
please,  to  separate  my  name  from  that  of  our  society  or  of  any 
other  missionary  society  in  this  matter.  If  I  have  done  wrong 
in  this,  I  alone  am  to  blame  and  I  do  not  shirk  the  responsibility. 
I  need  not  assure  you  that  it  forms  no  part  of  our  instructions 
to  coerce  or  to  oppress  natives,  nor  do  we  do  it.  Nothing  but 
the  most  dire  necessity  would  ever  justify  us  with  our  society  for 
using  force,  even  to  save  life,  though  some  remarks  made  lately 
would  almost  lead  an  outsider  to  infer  that  muskets  and  navy 
cats  form  a  necessary  and  important  part  of  a  missionary's  outfit. 


TROUBLOUS   DAYS  319 

"  To  show  that  I  have  not  given  you  simply  my  own  opinion 
of  the  matter  in  the  remarks  I  have  made,  I  will  now  quote 
from  the  official  report  of  Captain  Purvis,  of  H.M.S.  Dana, 
a  well-known  and  experienced  officer,  who  was  sent  down 
officially  to  investigate  the  matter.  He  arrived  here  whilst  I 
was  ill  in  Sydney,  and  I  have  never  seen  him  nor  had  any 
communication  whatever  with  him."  (See  pages  313-315.) 

I  then  gave  an  account  of  the  visits  and  inquiries  made  in 
New  Britain  by  Captain  de  Hoghton,  H.M.S.  Beagle  ;  Captain 
Home,  H.M.S.  Sandfly ;  Imperial  German  Consul,  H.  Webber, 
Esq.  ;  Captain  von  Werner,  H.I.G.M.S.  Ariadne ;  and  their 
opinions  and  judgment.  I  then  proceeded : 

"In  May  of  last  year  I  was  compelled  to  go  to  Sydney, 
being  very  ill  indeed.  As  soon  as  ever  I  was  able  to  do  so  I 
went  to  Fiji,  even  against  the  advice  of  kind  friends,  and  placed 
myself  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Supreme  Court  there 
in  order  to  court  the  very  fullest  investigation.  Sir  Arthur 
Gordon  declared  in  his  official  capacity  that  there  was  no  evidence 
which  would  at  all  justify  any  criminal  proceeding,  the  Attorney- 
General  of  Fiji  refused  to  prosecute,  and  the  Chief  Justice 
dismissed  the  case.  Could  I  have  done  more  than  I  have  done, 
or  are  there  any  signs  of  conscious  guilt  in  my  actions  ? 

"  I  have  been  commended,  and  our  actions  approved,  by  the 
highest  authorities  in  the  colonies,  both  official  and  naval,  and 
have  been  legally  acquitted  by  those  who  alone  had  jurisdiction 
over  us.  I  am  still  assured  of  the  cordial  sympathy  and 
confidence  of  the  vast  majority  of  my  brethren,  though  I  had 
more  reason  to  dread  censure  from  them  than  from  any  others. 
Every  officer  who  has  visited  us  here,  every  trader  who  has  ever 
called  or  who  has  ever  lived  here,  has  approved,  and  I  feel  pretty 
certain  that  the  great  majority  of  my  fellow-countrymen  do  the 
same ;  so  I  cannot  understand,  sir,  why  you  still  speak  of  my 
commanding  '  an  army  of  revenge,'  and  appear  to  hold  me  up 
as  a  warning  and  example  of  what  dangerous  men  missionaries 
are.  I  am  the  more  surprised,  as  I  had  no  reason  to  complain 


320  GEORGE    BROWN 

of  the  first  fair  and  honest  criticism  which  appeared  in  The 
Australasian  on  this  matter.  I  do  not  wish  to  appear  over- 
sensitive, nor  do  I  object  to  fair  criticism.  I  know,  of  course, 
that  missionaries,  like  other  men,  may  sometimes  do  foolish  and 
illegal  acts,  and,  equally  of  course,  that  they  must  take  the 
consequences  and  suffer  the  penalties  of  their  misdeeds ;  but  I 
maintain,  sir,  that,  although  I  have  been  gratified  by  the 
approval  of  the  many,  I  have  yet  borne  a  great  deal  of  un- 
merited obloquy  and  suffering  from  the  few,  especially  from  one 
or  two  in  England,  who  know  least  about  the  matter  ;  and  now, 
when  I  have  done  so  much  to  court  and  to  assist  investigation, 
when  such  a  mass  of  evidence  in  my  favour  has  been  produced 
and  acknowledged,  when  so  many  gentlemen  of  unquestioned 
honour  who  have  actually  been  here  have  borne  testimony  to 
the  necessity  and  justice  of  our  action,  and  when  I  have  been 
acquitted  by  those  who  alone  could  legally  adjudicate  on  the 
case,  I  confess  that  this  persistence  in  regarding  as  guilty  an 
innocent  man  appears  to  be  very  like  persecution.  I  say 
'  appears  to  be,'  because  I  do  not  believe  that  you  so  intend  it, 
and  I  therefore  presume  that  you  do  not  really  know  the 
facts  of  the  case.  This,  therefore,  is  my  apology  for  troubling 
you." 


THIRD   TERM   OF  RESIDENCE   IN   NEW   BRITAIN 


21 


VIII 
THIRD    TERM   OF   RESIDENCE   IN    NEW   BRITAIN 

AFTER  leaving  Fiji  we  proceeded  on  our  voyage  to  New 
Britain.  The  following  account  of  this  eventful  voyage  was 
written  by  me  at  sea  for  the  information  of  the  Board  of 
Missions,  and  when  the  events  which  it  records  were  still 
fresh  in  my  memory. 

We  left  Fiji  on  Saturday,  November  15,  but  did  not  pass 
the  Island  of  Tucopia  until  December  6,  on  which  day  we  got 
our  first  fair  wind,  and  began  to  indulge  hopes  of  having  a 
quick  run  to  Duke  of  York. 

"  Monday,  December  8.  At  noon  to-day  we  were  by  dead 
reckoning  (as  no  observations  could  be  got),  in  lat.  I2'io,  south, 
long.  164*54  east,  wind  about  north-east,  barometer  29'ox). 
There  was  a  heavy  squall  at  6  p.m. ;  the  top-gallant  sails 
were  taken  in  and  the  upper  topsails  lowered  down.  The 
storm  cleared  away  a  little,  and  at  7  p.m.  the  upper  fore-topsail 
was  again  hoisted.  At  this  time  a  poor  exhausted  and  frightened 
sea-bird,  which  must  have  been  conscious  of  the  coming  storm, 
took  refuge  with  us.  It  dropped  on  deck,  and  ran  for  shelter 
behind  a  spar  under  the  bulwark.  Mr.  Lancaster  saved  it  both 
from  the  jaws  of  the  old  cat  and  from  the  fury  of  the  gale,  by 
putting  it  under  an  empty  case  in  his  cabin.  At  7.30  p.m.  we 
had  family  prayer  as  usual  in  the  cabin,  when  most  of  the  crew 
were  present.  Soon  after  8  p.m.  the  barometer  began  to  fall 
rapidly  and  the  gale  increased  in  violence.  At  9  p.m.  all  sail 
was  taken  in,  and  a  piece  of  canvas  was  put  up  in  the  weather 
main  rigging  to  keep  her  head  to  the  wind,  which  was  then 

323 


324  GEORGE    BROWN 

blowing  hard  from  north  to  north-north-east.  The  captain  tried 
to  get  the  royal  yards  sent  down  on  deck,  but  no  one  could 
venture  aloft  to  attempt  to  do  so  then.  The  main-  and  after- 
hatches  were  battened  down,  and  nothing  more  could  be  done 
but  wait  and  watch. 

"  How  can  I  now  describe  to  you  the  scenes  which  followed  ? 
In  the  lulls  between  the  fierce  gusts  of  the  gale  I  could  hear 
the  teachers   and  their  wives  praying  to  God  to  have  mercy 
upon  us  all.     I  had  been  in  several  times  and  comforted  them 
as  well  as  I  could,  but  one  or  two  of  the  more  frightened  ones 
alarmed  them  all   again  ;    though   afterwards,  when  we  really 
expected  death,  they  were  all  as  quiet  and  collected  as  it  was 
possible  to  be.     The  captain  and  I  were  often  anxiously  looking 
at  the  barometer,  but,  alas !  there  was  no  hope  for  us  there. 
Afterwards,  when  the  captain  could  not  come  down  from  the 
companion-stairs,  I  gave  him  the  readings  from  time  to  time. 
It  was  really  terrifying  to  notice  the  rapid,  regular  fall  of  the 
mercury.     When  it  fell  below  29°,  I  knew  well  what  was  in 
store  for  us  ;  in  fact,  it  was  almost  already  upon  us.     No  words 
can    adequately   describe   the    noise    of    the   wind.     It   really 
shrieked  and  howled  as  if  mad  with  rage  against  us,  and  ever 
and  again  it  seemed  to  throw  itself  against  the  good  old  ship 
with  another   savagely  exultant  burst  of  fury,  as  of  a  demon 
exulting  in  the  fulfilment  of  a  long-deferred  but  ever-longed- 
for  vengeance.     I  have  felt  the  force  and  heard  the  roar  of  a 
hurricane  on  the  land,  and  have  been  in  many  a  heavy  gale  at 
sea,  but  have  never  felt  or  heard  anything  to  equal  that ;  and  this 
is  also  the  testimony  of  all  on  board.     We  have  old  sailors  on 
board  who  were  out  in  the  Dandenong  gale,  and  who  have  ex- 
perienced the  force  of  some  of  the  severest  cyclones  in  India  and 
China,  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  who  all  declare  that  they  never 
felt  the  wind  to  blow  so  hard,  though  they  have  known  a  much 
higher  sea.     The  poor  natives  all  came  crowding  into  the  cabin, 
and  we  anxiously  awaited  the  issue.     I  managed  to  get  another 
reading  of  the  barometer  at  10.45  P-m->  and  to  my  horror  saw 
that  it  was  down  to  28-82.     I  set  the  vernier  at  that,  but  I  had 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         325 

no  chance  of  taking  another  reading.  I  think  it  probable,  how- 
ever, that  it  fell  a  little  lower  than  'this.  We  were  expecting  a 
shift  of  wind,  and  Captain  Mansell  was  calling  out  continually  : 
'  Now  then,  now,  my  lads,  look  out ;  stand  by  the  starboard 
main  braces  ;  look  out  for  a  shift  ; '  whilst  the  gale  seemed 
to  roar  and  mock  at  him  and  at  us  all  ;  but  the  good  old  brig 
still  looked  both  wind  and  sea  bravely  in  the  face,  and  we  were 
almost  beginning  to  hope  that  we  might  weather  through 
after  all. 

"  I  had  just  started  to  try  and  get  another  reading  of  the 
barometer,  when  the  gale  struck  her  again  with  fresh  fury.  We 
felt  the  vessel  give,  as  it  were,  a  sudden  leap  from  under  us, 
and  everything  that  was  not  lashed  and  secured  broke  adrift. 
I  narrowly  escaped  being  crushed  by  the  harmonium,  as  it  gave 
a  mad  leap  right  out  of  the  elects  which  had  held  it  so  long, 
and  was  pitched  against  the  side  of  my  cabin,  which  it  stove  in. 
The  cargo  and  the  ballast  all  shifted  to  leeward,  and  the  poor 
John  Wesley  was  forced  down  under  water,  and  lay  stricken  and 
trembling  there  whilst  the  waters  rushed  aboard  as  with  a  shout 
of  victory  to  take  possession  of  the  prize.  Never  will  any  one 
who  was  on  board  ever  forget  that  fearful  sight.  We  all  felt 
her  gradually  settling  down,  and  I  climbed  up  the  companion- 
stairs,  preferring  to  struggle  and  die  in  the  open  air  rather  than 
in  the  cabin.  The  whole  of  the  poop  deck  on  the  port  side  up 
to  the  skylight  and  companion  was  under  water,  brightly 
phosphorescent  in  the  thick  darkness  and  foaming  and  hissing 
under  the  fury  of  the  gale,  whilst  all  the  fore  part  and  main 
deck  of  the  ship  on  the  same  side  was  buried  under  the  sea. 
No  one  could  stand  or  face  the  storm,  and  we  all  thought  and 
felt  that  the  end  was  come.  There  was  no  crying  nor  confusion 
then,  but  just  a  quiet,  nerve-strung  waiting  for  the  ship's  final 
plunge,  and  the  instinctive  struggle  for  life  which  would  follow. 
Many  a  fervent  prayer  ascended  to  heaven,  and  many  a  good- 
bye to  our  loved  ones  far  away  was  felt  and  muttered  during 
these  fearful  moments. 

"  But  there  was  a  chance  yet ;  the  cry  was  raised  for  axes  to 


326  GEORGE    BROWN 

cut  away  the  masts,  and  every  one  felt  that  there  was  no  time 
to  be  lost.  Fortunately  Mr.  Lancaster  had  axe  and  tomahawk 
all  sharpened  and  ready  to  hand  for  any  emergency.  From  my 
position  in  the  companion  I  passed  up  the  axe,  and  the  steward 
jumped  up  on  deck  with  the  tomahawk,  and  got  half  drowned 
in  trying  to  pass  it  to  the  second  mate.  And  now  you  could  hear 
Captain  Mansell,  almost  hoarse  from  excitement  and  shouting, 
calling  out :  '  Cut  away  !  cut  away  !  cut  for  your  lives  ! '  Then 
again :  '  Steward  !  Mr.  Brown  !  anybody  !  get  the  new  toma- 
hawks out  of  the  store,  tomahawks !  tomahawks !  Get  the 
tomahawks  ! '  The  steward  was  on  deck,  but  the  cook  and  I 
tried  to  find  the  parcel  in  the  store.  It  was  no  easy  thing 
holding  on  with  one  hand  and  trying  to  get  a  light  with  damp 
matches  with  the  other,  whilst  keeping  the  store-room  door 
open  with  one  foot,  so  as  to  be  able  to  strike  out  for  the  deck 
if  she  filled,  as  we  were  expecting  her  to  go  from  under  us 
every  minute,  for  she  was  then  on  her  broadside.  Just  at  the 
last  moment  the  lanyards  were  cut  through,  and  the  mainmast, 
unsupported  by  the  stays  and  shrouds,  went  crashing  over  the 
side,  and  soon  afterwards  the  foremast  also  succumbed  and 
followed.  This  relieved  the  ship  somewhat,  but  there  was  now 
a  new  danger,  that  of  the  wreckage  alongside,  as  some  of  the 
masts  or  spars  might  knock  a  hole  in  the  ship's  bottom  ;  and 
there  was  a  fresh  outcry  for  tomahawks.  Fortunately  we  had 
got  the  parcel  then,  and  the  cook  and  I  tore  it  open  and  passed 
them  up,  when  everything  which  kept  the  spars  and  yards 
alongside  was  cut  away,  and  then  they  were  all  sent  adrift. 
This  was  about  1 1  p.m.  As  soon  as  this  weight  was  away  the 
ship  righted  a  good  deal,  but  so  much  of  the  cargo  and  ballast 
had  shifted  that  she  still  lay  very  much  on  her  side.  Captain 
Mansell  and  I  went  'tween  decks,  and  I  asked  the  teachers  to 
go  to  work  and  throw  the  yams,  ballast,  etc.,  which  were  piled 
up  right  to  the  main  deck  beams  on  the  leeside,  over  to  wind- 
ward. They  were  still  very  frightened,  but  several  of  them 
went  to  work.  Wiliami,  a  Tonga  teacher,  was  very  useful 
indeed,  and  did  good  service  both  on  deck  when  the  masts 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         327 

were  being  cut  away,  and  also  in  the  'tween  decks  when  moving 
the  ballast.  The  steward  also  was  one  of  the  hardest  workers 
here,  and  by  his  presence  and  example  encouraged  the  teachers 
and  kept  them  at  the  work.  Whilst  the  crew  were  still  busy 
with  the  wreckage,  the  cook  and  I  got  one  of  the  lower  hold 
hatches  off,  and  he  went  down  with  a  light.  Very  gladly  did 
I  convey  to  Captain  Mansell  the  report  that  the  vessel  was  not 
making  any  water.  After  the  wreckage  was  sent  adrift,  and 
the  'tween  decks  cargo  was  shifted  to  windward,  there  was 
nothing  else  to  do  but  to  wait  for  daylight,  leaving  the  poor 
old  storm-stricken  brig  to  be  buffeted  about  by  wind  and  wave, 
as  she  was  quite  unmanageable. 

"  Captain,  officers,  and  crew  had  worked  fearlessly  and  well, 
and  deserve  all  praise.  But  for  the  promptness  with  which  the 
masts  were  cut  away  and  the  wreckage  sent  adrift  amid 
circumstances  of  no  little  danger,  this  journal  would  never  have 
been  written  ;  and  no  one  would  ever  have  known  the  fate  of 
our  mission  ship.  Mr.  Lancaster,  the  chief  officer,  had  a  very 
narrow  escape.  When  the  vessel  was  thrown  on  her  beam 
ends  he  was  thrown  from  the  windward  side  by  the  lurch,  and 
was  carried  right  over  the  lee  rail  by  the  rush  of  water.  When 
he  came  to  the  surface  he  was  some  little  distance  away  from 
the  ship,  and  at  once  commenced  to  swim  to  her,  as  he  was 
sheltered  by  the  hull  from  the  force  of  the  wind.  The  next 
sea,  however,  dipped  him  up  and  threw  him  right  on  board 
again,  where  he  got  hold  of  some  ropes  and  climbed  up  again 
to  windward.  Whilst  waiting  for  daylight  we  were  all,  officers, 
crew,  and  passengers,  collected  in  the  cabin,  and  though  the 
storm  was  still  raging  we  felt  comparatively  safe.  At  last 
the  mercury  began  to  rise  again,  telling  us  that  the  strength 
of  the  gale  was  past.  This  was  at  12.40  a.m.,  the  wind  being 
then  SS  W.  I  sat  listening  to  the  talk  going  on  around  me.  All 
were  loud  in  their  praises  of  our  vessel  then.  '  Isn't  she  a 
beauty?'  'Didn't  she  behave  well?'  Til  never  say  a  word 
against  the  Johnnie  so  long  as  /  live.'  '  Talk  about  her  being 
cranky,  why  there's  very  few  ships  in  this  world  would  ever 


328  GEORGE    BROWN 

have  come  up  again  after  such  a  knock  down  as  she  got 
to-night'  These  are  a  sample  of  one  class  of  remarks.  Then 
there  was  a  little  cessation  and  a  little  talk  about  personal 
risks  and  what  each  one  did,  but  the  topic  was  soon  started 
again  by  some  one  saying :  '  But,  I  say,  wasn't  it  a  near  go  ? ' 
to  which  there  was  a  general  chorus  of  reply :  'It  was  so, 
it  was  indeed,  couldn't  have  been  nearer.'  Then  again :  'If 
the  masts  hadn't  gone  when  they  did,  she  would  have  turned 
turtle  (capsized)  in  another  minute.'  This  last  remark  was 
most  emphatically  assented  to,  for  it  was,  and  is  yet,  the 
full  conviction  of  every  one  on  board  the  ship.  Just  before 
the  mainmast  went  not  one  on  board  felt  the  faintest  hope  of 
ever  seeing  the  sunlight  again.  Other  thoughts  also  and  other 
feelings  occupied  us  during  the  remainder  of  that  eventful 
night,  and  heartily  and  earnestly  did  we  each  thank  God 
for  His  goodness  in  sparing  our  lives.  Some  few  perhaps  slept 
a  little  in  their  wet  clothes,  but  most  of  us  were  too  much 
agitated  to  sleep.  Never  did  I  pass  such  a  wearisome  night. 
Over  and  over  again  the  Tonga  teacher  Wiliami  would  go  up 
the  companion  and  look  out,  anxious  to  report  the  first  peep 
of  daylight,  and  glad  enough  was  I  to  hear  him  say  at  last, 
'  The  light  is  climbing  up.' 

"  Tuesday,  December  9.  Barometer  29-40.  At  daylight 
I  went  on  deck,  and  oh  !  what  a  sad  sight  it  was  to  see  our 
beautiful  vessel  in  such  a  state !  Stripped  of  masts,  spars,  and 
rigging,  she  looked  so  very  small  that  it  was  difficult  to  realise 
the  fact  that  this  was  indeed  our  own  ship.  There  was  a  jagged 
and  split  stump  of  the  mainmast  standing,  about  ten  or  twelve 
feet  high  ;  another  jagged  stump  was  to  be  seen  just  above 
the  level  of  the  cook's  galley  ;  and  those  were  all  that  remained 
of  masts  and  spars  ;  all  besides  had  gone.  The  new  whale-boat 
had  been  swept  away,  and  the  davits  also  had  been  torn  from 
the  side.  The  long-boat  was  washed  away  from  her  position 
on  the  main  hatches,  but,  fortunately,  was  but  little  injured. 
The  deck  was  strewn  with  broken  boards,  pieces  of  the  bulwarks, 
hen  coops,  etc.  Away  forward  the  jibboom  was  carried  away, 


I 


MOUSE    AND    ARECA    PALMS,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         329 

but  was  still  floating  alongside,  attached  to  the  ship  by  the 
guys  and  stays.  A  torn  and  tattered  sail  was  dipping  in 
the  water  from  the  end  of  the  bowsprit,  whilst  ropes  and  chains 
were  hanging  down  over  the  bows,  dipping  into  every  sea, 
the  whole  a  very  picture  of  wreck  and  ruin.  The  most  serious 
matter  here,  however,  was  the  windlass,  which  was  totally 
wrecked,  one  of  the  large  bitts  having  been  torn  away,  I 
suppose,  by  the  mainstay  when  the  mainmast  went.  The 
sky  was  all  a  dull  leaden  colour,  and  a  heavy  sea  was  running, 
whilst  the  wind  still  blew  in  heavy,  fitful  gusts,  which,  however, 
soon  decreased  in  violence.  All  the  live  stock  was  swept  away, 
the  only  animal  left  being  one  of  a  lot  of  turkeys  which 
Mrs.  Fison  had  kindly  sent  to  Mrs.  Banks  and  Mrs.  Brown, 
as  we  were  anxious  to  introduce  them  into  the  group.  This 
sole  survivor  was,  however,  nearly  dead,  and  so  Captain  M. 
consigned  it  to  the  cook's  care  for  our  day's  dinner.  Two  small 
staysails  were  rigged  just  to  steady  the  ship  a  little,  as  the 
sea  was  still  running  very  high,  and  then  the  boat  was  secured 
again  on  the  main  hatches.  Captain  Mansell  then  ordered  a  spare 
topmast  which  we  fortunately  had  on  board  to  be  got  ready, 
and  this  occupied  all  the  remainder  of  the  day.  In  the  evening 
we  had  our  usual  prayer-meeting  in  the  cabin  with  all  the 
crew,  and  oh !  how  appropriate  the  '  Traveller's  Hymn '  was 
felt  to  be.  Every  one  joined  heartily  in  the  singing.  I  re- 
member it  being  sung  by  kind  friends  as  we  were  leaving 
Sydney  in  September  last,  when  Mr.  Fletcher  gave  it  out  on 
board  the  John  Wesley,  but  we  never  before  so  fully  realised 
the  truth— 


When  by  the  dreadful  tempest  borne 
High  on  the  dreadful  wave, 

They  know  Thou  art  not  slow  to  hear, 
Nor  impotent  to  save. 

The  storm  is  laid,  the  winds  retire, 

Obedient  to  Thy  will ; 
The  sea,  that  roars  at  Thy  command, 

At  Thy  command  is  still. 


330  GEORGE    BROWN 

We  are  yet  in  no  little  danger ;  the  hull  is  just  tossed  about 
in  every  direction  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  wave,  and 
we  cannot  get  any  observations  to  enable  the  captain  to  find 
out  our  position  ;  but  yet — 

In  midst  of  dangers,  fears,  and  death, 

Thy  goodness  we'll  adore  ; 
We'll  praise  Thee  for  Thy  mercies  past, 

And  humbly  hope  for  more. 

"  Wednesday,  December  10.  Last  night  Captain  Mansell 
tried  to  get  an  observation  from  some  star  in  order  to  ascertain 
our  latitude,  but  did  not  succeed.  Lots  of  sharks  were  about 
the  ship  this  morning  ;  we  caught  two  of  them,  one  of  which, 
as  he  was  being  hoisted  up,  vomited  the  wings  and  feathers 
of  one  of  the  nice  turkeys  we  brought  from  Navuloa.  The 
brute  had  evidently  enjoyed  it,  and  no  doubt  would  have 
liked  another  one.  All  on  board  were  hard  at  work  early  this 
morning  trying  to  raise  the  topmast  as  a  jurymast.  The  first 
attempt  did  not  succeed,  as  the  ship  was  rolling  very  much. 
The  mast  was,  however,  well  up,  when  some  rope  carried  away, 
and  it  fell  to  the  deck  again.  The  next  attempt  was  successful, 
and  by  9  a.m.  it  was  hoisted,  lashed  to  the  stump  of  the  foremast, 
and  partly  secured.  This  was  no  easy  job,  as  the  vessel  was 
so  very  unsteady,  and  all  were  very  glad  to  see  the  mast  on 
end,  and  to  know  that  no  one  had  been  injured  whilst  getting 
it  up.  Officers  and  crew  all  worked  well,  and  we  passengers 
hauled  in  the  slack  and  gave  other  like  important  help.  At  noon 
Captain  Mansell  ascertained  our  position  to  be  lat.  ir8  south, 
and  long.  164*5  east,  wind  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  south  ;  so 
we  hope  to  be  able  to  reach  St.  Christoyal,  which  is  our  nearest 
land,  being  about  ninety  miles  away." 

I  then  stated  the  reasons  in  favour  of  this  course  ;  that, 
owing  to  exceptionally  fine  weather,  the  crew  were  able  to 
get  up  all  the  spars  which  were  available,  and  to  set  all  the  sail 
we  were  able  to  use ;  that  the  captain  then,  much  to  my 
sorrow,  decided  to  make  for  the  Australian  coast ;  and  that,  after 
a  long,  tedious  voyage,  we  reached  Sydney  on  January  23. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         331 

I  wrote  this  report  at  the  time,  but  there  are  some  little 
incidents  connected  with  the  hurricane  which  I  did  not  mention. 
One  of  the  bravest  acts  I  have  ever  known  was  done  by  one 
of  our  Tongan  teachers,  named  Wiliami.  When  the  masts  went 
the  wreckage  was  kept  alongside  by  the  stays  and  rigging,  and 
as  the  yards  might  at  any  time  have  knocked  a  hole  in 
the  ship's  side,  it  was  felt  to  be  absolutely  necessary  that 
some  of  the  stays  which  still  held  them  should  be  cut,  but 
the  work  of  doing  this  was  one  of  very  great  danger. 
Wiliami,  however,  volunteered,  and  in  the  midst  of  that  roaring 
hurricane,  and  in  the  black  darkness,  he  managed  to  wade 
across  the  submerged  deck  until  he  reached  the  fore  part  of 
the  ship,  where  he  found  that  the  mainstay,  though  it  had 
torn  part  of  the  windlass  from  its  position,  still  held.  There 
was,  however,  such  a  fearful  strain  upon  it  that  when  he  struck 
it  with  an  axe  it  snapped  like  a  harp-string,  and  then  everything 
else  gave  way.  Many  of  the  bolts  were  torn  out  of  the  side 
of  the  ship.  The  large  iron  davits  were  twisted  as  if  they  were 
pieces  of  rope,  and  every  other  rope  which  held  the  wreckage 
was  broken,  and  so  the  ship  was  at  once  relieved  of  the  terrible 
weight  which  was  pressing  her  down  under  the  water.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  we  owed  our  preservation  from  terrible 
danger  to  that  brave  action  of  the  Tongan  teacher. 

The  escape  of  the  chief  officer,  Mr.  Lancaster,  was  very 
wonderful,  as  he  was  thrown  right  away  from  the  ship  and  again 
cast  on  board  by  a  returning  wave.  He  was  a  good  man  and 
a  very  able  seaman,  and  I  was  very  sorry  to  learn  in  after 
years  that  he  and  all  on  board  the  ship  in  which  he  then  was 
lost  their  lives  in  another  hurricane  between  Fiji  and  Samoa. 

There  is  another  incident  which  I  should  like  to  mention. 
I  noted  it  at  the  time  in  my  journal,  and  think  it  may  be 
interesting  as  an  instance  of  what  is  known  as  unconscious 
cerebration.  When  we  were  expecting  the  vessel  to  go  down, 
and  actually  felt  her  sinking,  I  stood  on  the  upper  steps  of  "  the 
companion-way,"  just  behind  the  captain,  with  my  hands  held 
out  for  the  final  plunge ;  and  I  well  remember  the  thoughts 


332  GEORGE    BROWN 

which  passed  through  my  mind  when  death  seemed  to  be  so 
very  near.  I  was  not  frightened  with  any  physical  fear  of 
death,  but  felt  a  kind  of  nervous  anxiety  to  have  it  all  over 
if  it  was  to  be.  My  first  thoughts  were  something  like  this  : 
Well,  here  we  are  going,  and  no  one  will  ever  know  what  has 
become  of  the  John  Wesley  ;  and  I  pictured  to  myself  the  theories 
which  would  be  formed  and  the  inquiries  and  searches  which 
would  be  made  when  our  nonarrival  was  known.  Then, 
strange  to  say,  the  Chief  Justice  of  Fiji  was  next  very  pro- 
minently in  my  thoughts,  and  I  imagined  him  as  feeling  some 
kind  of  satisfaction  that  I  had  not  escaped  after  all.  I  thought 
then  of  my  dear  wife  and  children  in  Duke  of  York  Island,  how 
long  and  anxiously  they  would  wait  for  our  coming,  and  how 
sorry  they  would  be  when  month  after  month  passed  without 
our  appearing.  But,  strange  to  say,  I  do  not  remember  think- 
ing at  all  of  our  dear  children  in  Auckland,  or  of  any  of  our 
friends  there.  This  was  not,  of  course,  because  I  loved  them 
less,  but  because  all  my  thoughts  were  or  had  been  principally 
and  recently  connected  with  the  events  in  the  order  I  have 
mentioned.  All  these  thoughts  occupied  but  a  few  moments, 
and  constitute,  I  think,  an  instance  of  what  Dr.  Carpenter 
calls  "unconscious  cerebration." 

The  entries  in  my  diary  from  December  1 5  to  the  date  of 
our  arrival  in  Sydney  I  have  not  published  ;  but  they  contain 
the  records  of  what  was  to  me  one  of  the  saddest  and  most 
painful  periods  in  my  life.  I  cannot  even  now  think  of  the 
pain  which  I  suffered  on  account  of  the  selfish  duplicity  of  one 
man,  and  of  the  almost  maddening  anxiety  which  I  felt  during 
those  weary  weeks  for  my  dear  wife  and  children,  without 
shuddering  as  the  remembrance  comes  back  to  me.  Yet,  had 
I  really  known  the  actual  facts  of  the  fearful  suffering  which 
was  being  borne  by  my  wife  and  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danks,  it 
would  have  been  worse  even  than  it  was.  I  have  no  desire  to 
enter  into  details  at  present,  especially  as  the  man  whose 
conduct  I  so  much  objected  to  has  long  since  passed  away. 
I  simply  give  an  outline  of  the  facts  in  justice  to  myself. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         333 

As  I  have  already  stated,  both  the  captain  and  every  one 
on  board  said  after  the  hurricane  that  our  best  plan  was  to 
go  to  St.  Christoval  to  get  spars  and  refit,  and  no  one  ever 
doubted  our  ability  to  do  so  ;  but  after  the  calms  and   light 
winds  had  enabled  the  crew  to  effect  all  the  repairs  which  were 
possible,  I  began  to  notice  a  great  change,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  captain   had  suddenly  become  very  lukewarm  about 
going  to  the  Solomons.     After  some  days  had  passed  I  became 
very  anxious  as,  though  no   definite   statement  was   made,  it 
was  quite  apparent  to  all  on  board  that  no  proper  attempt  was 
being  made  to  reach  the  Solomons,  but  that,  on  the  contrary, 
the   vessel  was   being  deliberately  kept   away.     I  am   an  old 
traveller,  and  I  know  well  a  passenger's  proper  place  on  board 
a  ship.     I  am  perfectly  well  aware  that  the  captain  is  the  sole 
responsible  man  on  board.     If  he  had  at  once  said  that  he  had 
changed  his  mind,  and  that  he  meant  to  go  to  Australia,  and 
not   attempt   to    make   the   Solomons,   as   he    had    previously 
decided,  I    could   only  have   lamented  the   fact,  and  accepted 
the  position  ;   and  this  I   should  certainly  have  done.     But  I 
was  sailor  enough  to  know  that  instead  of  doing  this  he  was 
only  pretending  to  go  to  St.  Christoval,  whilst  all  the  time  he 
was  keeping  away  from  it.     This  fact  was  well  known  to  all 
on  board,  who  laughed  at  the  farce  which  was  being  played, 
though  we  little  knew  at  the  time  that  the  farce  would  end 
in  a  tragedy  at  Duke  of  York  Island.     I  kept  a  journal  of  the 
whole  of  the  voyage,  which  I  can  submit  to-day  to  any  nautical 
man.     In  this  I  noted  each  day  the  ship's  position,  the  direction 
of  the  wind,  the  rate  of  progress,  and  the  course  steered,  and 
this  will  furnish  to  any  competent  person   full  proofs  of  the 
statements  which  I  made.     My  diary  gives  abundant  evidence 
of  the  anxiety  I  felt  during  those  weary  weeks  when  we  were 
drifting  towards  the  Australian  coast,  but  I  need  only  give  one 
extract,  which  is  as  follows :   "  I  sympathise  with  the  captain 
in  his  great  desire  to  get  to  Sydney,  but  at  the  same  time  I 
think  that  some  consideration  ought  to  be  shown,  not  only  for 
the  interests  of  the  Mission,  but  for  the  feelings  of  my  own 


334  GEORGE    BROWN 

wife,  who  has  endured  so  much,  and  who  is  now  suffering  such 
cruel  torture  from  anxiety  and  fear,  and  also  for  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Banks  and  teachers,  who  have  been  left  so  long  without  their 
supplies.  If  there  was  any  necessity  for  our  running  away, 
if  the  ship  was  leaking,  or  if  there  was  any  danger  to  life,  I 
should  not  say  a  word,  but  would  endeavour  to  submit  patiently 
to  God's  will ;  but  under  our  present  circumstances  I  consider 
that  our  going  direct  to  the  colonies  from  here  without  making 
a  fair  and  honest  attempt  to  reach  St.  Christoval  is  unjust  to 
the  Society,  and  cruel  and  heartless  in  the  extreme  to  the 
missionaries  and  their  wives,  as  well  as  to  the  teachers." 

As  I  am  glad  to  finish  the  account  of  this  painful  incident 
I  will  anticipate  the  course  of  my  story,  and  give  the  results 
of  the  inquiries  which  were  made  on  the  subject.  There  was 
of  course  great  satisfaction  felt  on  the  safe  arrival  of  the  vessel 
in  Sydney.  The  complaints  which  I  made  to  the  General 
Secretary  were,  I  believe,  considered  by  the  Ship's  Committee 
at  the  time,  but  I  do  not  remember  what  their  findings  were. 
I  have  the  impression,  however,  that  they  simply  justified  the 
captain's  action  in  bringing  the  vessel  to  Sydney.  I  then 
requested  that  the  matter  should  be  considered  by  a  number 
of  nautical  experts,  and  suggested  that  the  Conference  should 
appoint  one,  that  the  captain  should  appoint  another,  and  that 
I  myself  should  appoint  the  third.  This  was  done,  and  I 
stated  my  case,  which  was  simply  that  I  made  no  complaint 
whatever  with  regard  to  the  captain's  seamanship,  or  against 
his  judgment  in  deciding  to  make  the  Australian  coast  rather 
than  attempt  to  land  us  at  the  Solomons.  The  fact  of  the 
vessel  being  safe  in  Sydney  Harbour  would  of  itself  have 
made  it  unwise  for  me  to  do  that.  The  underwriters  were 
naturally  content  with  the  fact  that  the  vessel  had  arrived 
in  port,  but  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  what  their  opinions 
would  have  been,  if  an  accident  had  happened,  on  the  propriety 
of  a  man  leaving  a  safe  port  ninety  miles  to  leeward,  and 
risking  the  voyage  of  1,700  miles  across  the  Coral  Sea  in  a 
disabled  ship,  and  with  only  one  damaged  boat  to  contain  the 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        335 

whole  of  the  passengers  and  crew.  By  God's  good  providence, 
however,  we  had  arrived  safely,  and  the  only  complaint  which 
I  formally  made,  and  which  I  proved  clearly,  both  from  the 
official  log  of  the  ship  and  my  own  journal,  was  that  whilst 
the  captain  was  pretending  to  make  the  Solomons  he  was 
really  doing  his  best  to  keep  the  vessel  away,  and  that  he 
finally  abandoned  all  pretence,  and  made  the  best  of  his  way 
to  Sydney.  I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  find  the  report  of  this 
Committee  of  experts  to  the  Board,  but  I  have  a  distinct 
remembrance  that,  whilst  they  exonerated  the  captain  for 
coming  to  Australia,  their  opinion  was  that  the  statements 
which  I  had  made  were  confirmed  by  those  contained  in  the 
official  log.  It  was  a  decision  which  was  intended  to  please 
both  parties,  and  to  set  the  matter  at  rest ;  and  there  I 
leave  it. 

We  saw  Cape  Moreton  at  8.30  p.m.,  January  14 ;  passed 
Smoky  Cape  on  i/th  ;  signalled  Manning  River  Station  on 
1 8th,  and  spoke  the  City  of  Graf  ton  steamer  the  same  day. 
On  the  1 9th  a  steam  tug  came  off  from  Newcastle,  and  as  "we 
were  in  distress  and  it  would  not  be  right  to  take  advantage 
of  our  unfortunate  position,"  the  captain  very  kindly  said 
he  would  tow  us  to  Sydney  for  the  small  sum  of  ^300 ! 
Our  captain  offered  him  £50,  which  he  declined  ;  but  after 
waiting  for  several  hours  he  offered  to  take  us  for  ^75.  On 
our  still  declining  he  left  us  for  the  night.  The  steam 
tug  came  out  again,  but  as  we  had  then  a  fair  wind  we 
declined  his  assistance,  and  on,  January  23,  we  arrived  in 
Sydney. 

The  late  Rev.  Shirley  W.  Baker  met  me  on  the  wharf,  and 
informed  me  that  the  Conference  was  just  commencing  its 
sessions.  He  did  not  tell  me  any  news  about  my  family, 
and  I  walked  with  him  to  the  Coffee  Palace  in  George  Street, 
as  he  thought  I  would  probably  see  Rev.  R.  Chapman,  the 
General  Secretary,  there.  Just  as  we  were  sitting  down  to 
tea  some  members  of  the  Conference  came  in,  and  I  received 
many  congratulations  on  our  safe  return.  The  late  Rev. 


336  GEORGE    BROWN 

J.  B.  Waterhouse  came  and  sat  down  by  my  side,  and  asked 
me  if  1  had  received  any  news  since  my  arrival.  On  my 
answering  that  I  had  not  done  so,  he  said  :  "  I  am  sorry  to 
tell  you  that  your  little  boy  in  New  Britain  is  dead."  "  Which 
boy  ? "  I  asked,  for  I  had  left  two  dear  little  boys  there  when 
I  was  brought  away  ill.  Unfortunately  Mr.  Waterhouse  did 
not  know  the  name,  and  I  had  to  wait  in  great  anxiety  until 
7  p.m.,  when  my  brother-in-law,  the  late  Rev.  W.  Fletcher,  B.A., 
came  and  told  me  that  I  should  never  again  see  on  earth 
our  dear  little  Wallis,  the  strong,  sturdy,  happy  child,  whom 
I  had  left  in  apparent  good  health  a  few  months  before.  It 
was  a  great  grief  to  me,  not  only  on  account  of  the  loss  of 
our  dear  child,  but  because  I  knew  well  how  much  my  dear 
wife  must  have  suffered,  and  how  terrible  her  anxiety  must 
now  be  on  my  account,  as  she  knew  of  our  having  left  Fiji,  and 
that  we  were  due  in  New  Britain  in  December.  I  learnt  also 
that,  when  the  vessel  which  brought  the  news  of  the  death 
of  Wallis  left  New  Britain,  another  of  our  children  was  also 
seriously  ill.  The  pain  of  these  sorrowful  tidings  was  intensified 
by  the  knowledge  that  but  for  the  terrible  mistake  made  in 
not  landing  us  at  the  Solomons  I  would  long  ago  have  been 
at  home  to  comfort  my  dear  wife,  and  to  help  her  in  the 
care  of  our  little  ones.  It  will  be  seen  afterwards  that  she 
had  to  bury  a  second  child  whilst  I  was  absent.  The  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  B.  Danks  from  Duke  of 
York  Island,  under  date  May  29,  1880,  gives  his  account  of 
the  death  of  our  dear  child  : 

"  We  have  passed  through  no  small  trouble  since  my  last 
by  the  Dance,  Death  has  cast  a  shadow  over  our  home,  and 
our  hearts  are  sore.  Mr.  Brown's  youngest  son,  Wallis,  has 
been  taken  away  from  this  life,  and  there  is  a  void  in  our  hearts 
and  home.  He  was  such  a  bright,  hearty  little  fellow,  so  pretty, 
both  in  appearance  and  manner,  that  all  who  saw  him  could 
not  but  love  him.  Mrs.  Brown  is  broken-hearted.  I  need  not 
enlarge  upon  her  sorrow  in  order  to  secure  for  her  the  sympathy 
of  God's  people,  for  I  am  sure  the  prayers  of  all  our  churches 


r 

•V      •x^s-^^B 


MAN    AND    WOMAN,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         337 

will  go  up  as  that  of  one  man,  that  '  the  God  of  all  comfort ' 
would  '  comfort  her  in  her  tribulation,'  when  they  hear  of  this 
sad  event.  You  will  understand  the  darkness  which  has 
surrounded  us  better  if  I  give  you  an  account  of  the  events 
as  they  occurred. 

"  On  Tuesday,  September  30,  Geoffrey,  Mr.  Brown's  eldest 
son  here,  was  taken  ill.  Fever  ran  very  high,  and  the  poor 
boy  suffered  much.  We  managed  that  case  very  well,  and  in 
a  few  days  he  began  to  recover.  On  Wednesday,  October  I, 
Wallis  became  very  restless ;  we  could  not  make  out  what 
was  wrong  with  him,  but  supposed  that  teething  was  the  cause, 
and  treated  him  accordingly.  On  Thursday  afternoon,  as  Mrs. 
Danks  was  nursing  him,  he  gave  a  sudden  start,  and  was  at 
once  seized  with  convulsions.  We  did  all  we  could  for  the 
poor  child,  and  at  last  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  recover 
from  the  attack.  After  a  few  days  he  seemed  to  be  making 
rapid  progress  toward  complete  recovery.  On  Friday  night 
Mrs.  Danks  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  fainting  fit  as  she  was 
nursing  Wallis,  and  I  was  only  just  in  time  to  save  her  from 
a  severe  fall.  Fever  set  in,  and  for  three  days  and  nights  she 
was  continually  vomiting,  and  during  all  that  time  she  was 
in  dreadful  pain.  She  is  only  now  beginning  to  recover  strength. 
On  Wednesday,  October  8, 1  was  taken  ill  with  fever,  and  passed 
through  twenty-four  hours  of  misery.  I  recovered  a  little  next 
day,  and  thought  all  was  over,  but  at  night  it  returned  in 
great  strength,  and  for  four  days  I  could  get  no  rest — sick  all 
the  time  during  the  day,  and  on  the  verge  of  delirium  at  night. 
There  were  four  of  us,  and  only  Mrs.  Brown  and  the  Samoan 
servants  to  attend  to  us,  for  we  were  helpless.  What  a  mercy 
that  Mrs.  Brown  was  not  taken  ill  !  In  the  midst  of  all  this 
care,  suddenly,  on  Sunday  morning,  October  12,  Wallis  died. 
I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  our  house  that  morning  ;  enough 
to  say  that  we  felt  no  greater  calamity  could  befall  us,  and 
everything  seemed  dark.  We  buried  him  on  Monday  morning 
— a  sad  task  for  me,  and  a  heart-rending  one  for  the  lonely 
mother ! " 

22 


338  GEORGE    BROWN 

I  received  a  very  kindly  welcome  from  the  Conference,  and 
earnest  thanks  were  given  to  God  for  our  safe  arrival.  As 
soon  as  possible  I  made  inquiries  for  a  vessel  going  to  the 
Solomons,  as  I  knew  there  was  no  possibility  of  any  direct 
opportunity  to  New  Britain.  I  found  a  small  ketch  or  cutter 
called  the  Lotus  was  likely  to  sail  soon,  and  I  at  once  secured 
a  passage  in  her  for  myself,  intending  to  leave  the  teachers 
to  be  sent  on  in  a  larger  vessel.  As  soon,  however,  as  this 
was  known  in  the  Conference,  several  members  protested  very 
strongly  against  my  going  in  such  a  small  craft,  and  I  had 
to  wait  for  a  larger  vessel.  Very  fortunately,  however,  we  had 
not  long  to  wait,  and  on  February  13,  1880,  we  left  Sydney 
in  the  three-masted  schooner  Avoca,  Captain  Runcie.  The 
Avoca  was  a  fairly  good  ship,  and  her  captain  was  one  of  my 
old  friends,  but  she  was  simply  an  island  trading  vessel,  and 
had  little  or  no  accommodation  for  passengers.  My  berth  was 
on  a  deep  shelf  in  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  and  I  had  to  share 
it  with  scores  of  rats  and  hundreds  of  the  large  cockroaches 
which  are  so  plentiful  in  most  vessels  which  carry  copra  ;  but 
poor  as  it  was,  I  was  very  thankful  to  be  on  my  way  home 
again. 

After  a  fair  passage  down  we  sighted  Rennel  Island  on 
February  26,  at  11  a.m.,  and  passed  between  it  and  Bellona 
Island  in  the  evening.  After  this  we  had  thick  and  rainy 
weather  and  did  not  arrive  at  Marau  Sound  until  Sunday, 
February  29,  just  sixteen  days  out  from  Sydney.  As  soon 
as  we  entered  we  were  boarded  by  Captain  Woodhouse  of  the 
auxiliary  steam  schooner  Emu,  and  soon  afterwards  by  my 
old  friend  Captain  Ferguson  of  the  S.S.  Ripple,  from  both  of 
whom  we  had  a  hearty  welcome.  Next  day,  March  I,  the 
weather  was  still  very  "  dirty "  as  folks  say  at  sea,  and  so 
Marau  did  not  look  very  cheerful,  though  we  were  heartily 
glad  to  be  safe  at  anchor  in  its  quiet  waters.  It  is  really  a 
splendid  harbour.  With  the  exception,  however,  of  the  three 
vessels  and  a  small  village  on  one  of  the  islands  in  the  lagoon, 
there  were  few  signs  of  life,  and  even  the  birds  seemed  un- 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE         339 

willing  to  leave  their  shelter  to  face  the  heavy  north-west  winds 
and  rain.  (Some  months  previous  to  our  arrival  there  was  at 
large  village  on  the  western  side  of  the  harbour,  but  the  in- 
habitants at  the  time  we  were  there  deemed  it  safer  to  dwell 
far  back  on  the  mountains,  as  they  had  recently  committed 
one  of  the  most  cruel  and  unprovoked  murders  ever  committed 
in  the  South  Seas,  on  a  quiet  old  man  who  had  been  appointed 
to  the  charge  of  the  trading  depdt  established  by  the  firm 
of  which  Captain  Ferguson  was  the  island  manager.  The 
chief  Washari  had  been  on  the  most  friendly  terms  for  years 
with  them,  and  was  paid  a  regular  monthly  sum  to  take  care 
of  and  protect  the  trader  and  the  station.  On  the  evening 
before  the  murder,  Captain  Ferguson  landed  the  trader  who 
was  appointed  to  take  the  place  of  the  previous  trader,  who 
was  being  removed.  Nothing  at  all  occurred  to  excite  any 
suspicion  ;  all  was  quiet  and  peaceable  as  it  had  been  for  four 
years  past,  since  the  station  was  begun  ;  the  chief  and  people 
were  to  all  appearance  friendly  as  they  had  ever  been. 
Captain  Ferguson  asked  the  chief  to  look  after  and  protect 
both  the  man  and  the  property  as  he  had  always  done,  received 
his  assurance  that  he  would  do  so,  and  then  took  his  departure 
for  Sydney  with  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  chief  and  people. 
The  very  next  morning  that  same  chief,  who  had  given  such 
assurances  to  the  captain,  accompanied  by  a  man  called  Alec, 
who  also  was  in  Captain  Ferguson's  employ  and  had  received 
many  favours  from  him,  crossed  over  to  the  small  island 
where  the  trader  was  living,  chatted  with  him  for  awhile,  and 
then  pointed  out  a  canoe  which  they  said  was  coming  to  sell 
cocoanuts.  The  man  turned  his  head  to  look,  when  he  was 
at  once  struck  down  and  murdered,  after  which  they  took 
away  all  the  trade  which  they  were  able  to  carry,  and  ruthlessly 
destroyed  everything  which  was  of  no  use  to  them  or  was 
too  heavy  to  be  taken  away.  H.M.S.  Dana  visited  the  group^ 
some  months  afterwards,  and  an  armed  party  was  landed 
and  proceeded  inland  to  endeavour  to  capture  the  murderers, 
but  did  not  succeed  in  doing  so.  They,  however,  destroyed 


340  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  village,  and  so  thoroughly  frightened  the  people  that  at  the 
time  of  our  visit  the  shores  of  the  harbour  were  quite  deserted. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  small  ketch  the  Lotus,  which  left 
Sydney  a  few  days  before  us,  I  made  some  inquiries  as  to 
the  probable  date  of  her  sailing,  as  I  was  anxious  to  get  away 
at  once  with  the  teachers  to  New  Britain.  When  I  mentioned 
the  matter  to  Captain  Ferguson  he  was  much  concerned,  and 
I  give  his  reply,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember,  in  his  own  words. 
He  said :  "  Look  here,  Mr.  Brown,  I  don't  at  all  like  the  idea 
of  your  going  on  the  Lotus.  Wait  a  few  days  until  I  get  the 
Avoca  discharged,  and  1  will  run  you  all  up  to  New  Britain 
in  the  steamer.  That  poor  wife  of  yours  must  be  nearly  mad 
with  anxiety  and  trouble,  and  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  her 
continued  sufferings.  Wait  a  few  days  longer,  and  we  will 
all  go  together  as  soon  as  ever  I  can  get  away."  Needless 
to  say,  I  thanked  him  with  a  broken  voice,  but  from  a  full 
heart ;  and  as  will  be  seen  from  the  subsequent  narrative,  he 
promptly  fulfilled  his  promise,  and  conveyed  us  all  to  New 
Britain  free  of  any  expense  to  the  Missionary  Society.  When 
I  was  living  on  Nusa  Songa  in  the  Solomon  Islands  in  1905, 
one  of  the  most  sacred  spots  to  me  on  that  little  island 
was  that  on  which  stands  a  small  monument  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Captain  Ferguson  by  some  of  his  old  companions 
and  friends.  He  was  murdered,  as  I  shall  narrate,  by  the 
natives  at  Numanuma  on  the  island  of  Bougainville. 

Whilst  we  were  waiting  at  Marau  I  employed  my  time  in 
collecting  specimens  of  natural  history,  and  in  visiting  the 
deserted  shores  of  the  harbour.  Poor  Captain  Ferguson  was 
much  concerned  about  this,  and  often  warned  me  that  the 
natives  were  known  to  be  always  on  the  lookout  for  a  white 
man  to  kill,  in  revenge  for  the  losses  which  they  had  sustained 
by  the  action  of  the  ship  of  war.  I,  however,  felt  very  little 
fear,  though  I  did  not,  of  course,  neglect  proper  precautions. 
In  fact,  I  am  quite  certain  that  I  frightened  the  natives  far 
more  than  they  frightened  me.  I  never  attempted  to  hide 
our  tracks  when  we  went  any  distance  inland,  but  whenever 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        341 

I  thought  we  might  be  followed,  I  used  to  tie  some  cocoanut 
leaves  across  the  track,  clear  a  space  in  the  middle  of  the  road, 
make  a  little  mound  of  earth,  stick  some  twigs  in  it,  and  then 
put  some  pieces  of  paper  or  bits  of  cloth  on  the  twigs,  together 
with  a  betel-nut  or  an  old  cocoanut,  or  anything  else  I  could 
get,  and  then  pass  on.  All  this  was  utterly  meaningless  to 
me,  but  I  knew  that  if  the  natives  saw  it  they  would  at  once 
conclude  that  it  was  some  form  of  "  tabu,"  with  dreadful 
penalties  attached  to  any  infringement  of  it ;  and  the  fact  that 
it  was  new  to  them,  and  therefore  not  intelligible,  would  only 
add  to  its  terrors.  Whether  it  had  any  effect  I  do  not  know  ; 
but  we  never  saw  a  native  all  the  time  we  were  at  Marau, 
though  I  was  out  in  the  bush  every  day,  and  they  were  known 
to  be  about. 

We  left  Marau  on  March  7,  but  had  to  return  to  port  again 
on  the  same  day,  as  the  wind  was  strong  and  the  weather 
was  dirty-looking.  We  left  again  on  March  9,  and  on  the 
next  day  passed  between  the  islands  of  Guadalcanar  and  Savo, 
and  were  fairly  on  our  way  again.  We  called  first  at  Cape 
Marsh,  on  Rossell  Island,  to  purchase  yams.  The  people  at 
this  place  were  very  wild  in  those  days,  and  great  caution 
had  to  be  observed  in  dealing  with  them.  I  have  often  been 
asked  which  was  the  narrowest  escape  I  have  ever  had  from 
being  killed  by  the  natives,  and  I  have  always  replied  that 
my  narrowest  escapes  were,  in  my  opinion,  on  occasions  when 
I  myself  apprehended  no  danger  at  all,  or,  at  all  events,  when 
I  saw  no  signs  of  it.  I  have  often  thought  since  that  I  had 
one  of  those  escapes  at  Cape  Marsh.  Whilst  the  men  were 
trading  for  yams,  I  strolled  away  into  the  bush,  and,  of  course, 
I  was  followed  by  a  crowd  of  natives,  who  were  always  eager 
to  see  what  a  white  man  was  about  to  do.  These  people  did 
not  know  me,  nor  did  they  know  that  I  was  a  missionary, 
though  I  do  not  think  this  would  have  affected  them  in  any 
way.  I  shot  a  few  birds,  but  when  I  found  a  fine  land-shell 
(Bulimus )  I  became  very  anxious  to  get  more  speci- 
mens, and  set  the  natives  to  work  to  look  for  them,  and  soon 


342  GEORGE    BROWN 

got  a  good  number.  They  were  highly  amused  at  my  folly 
in  collecting  such  rubbish,  but  as  I  paid  them  for  all  they 
brought  they  were  well  content  to  profit  by  my  ignorance. 
After  awhile,  however,  I  began  to  consider  that  we  were  at 
least  two  or  three  miles  from  the  beach,  that  I  was  alone  with 
a  lot  of  men  who  bore  a  very  bad  character,  and  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  I  was  acting  very  foolishly  in  placing  myself 
so  completely  in  their  power,  and  soon  afterwards  I  expressed 
my  satisfaction  with  the  results  of  our  work,  and  turned  back 
in  the  direction  of  the  beach.  I  kept  them,  however,  fully 
employed  in  hunting  for  something  or  other  which  they  thought 
I  might  like  to  have,  and  paid  them,  of  course,  for  everything 
which  they  brought  .We  reached  the  beach  again  in  due  time, 
much  to  my  satisfaction,  and  also  to  the  relief  of  Captain 
Ferguson.  I  cannot  say  whether  the  natives  ever  thought 
how  easy  it  would  be  for  them  to  kill  me,  and  so  obtain  the 
little  trade  I  had  with  me  without  any  further  trouble,  but 
it  is  quite  certain  that  those  same  people  killed  and  ate  Captain 

S a  few  weeks  afterwards  at  the  same  place,  though  he 

never  went  farther  than  the  beach.  I  never  look  at  those 
^shells  in  my  cabinet  without  thinking  that  I  obtained  them  at 
no  little  risk.  The  people  had  been  formerly  very  numerous  at 
that  place,  but  were  even  then  much  decreased  in  number, 
owing  to  the  head-hunting  raids  of  the  Ruviana  people  and 
other  natives  of  New  Georgia.  These  Ruviana  people  were 
continually  fighting  the  Guadalcanar  natives.  They  had  nearly 
depopulated  Cape  Marsh  and  other  places  on  Rossell  Island  ; 
Murray  Island  people  had  been  entirely  destroyed  by  them  ; 
and  the  one-time  dense  population  of  Ysabel  was  now  repre- 
sented only  by  a  few  scattered  villages.  The  traders  were 
unanimous  in  their  desire  that  the  British  Government  should 
stop  this  wholesale  murder,  and  were  equally  unanimous  in 
their  opinion  that  the  presence  of  a  small  ship  of  war  during 
the  head-hunting  season,  the  punishment  of  a  few  ringleaders, 
and  the  confiscation  of  all  canoes  captured  whilst  engaged  in  a 
raid,  would  soon  stop  the  horrible  business. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         343 

From  Cape  Marsh  we  went  to  New  Georgia,  coasting  along 
the  shores  of  the  main  island,  and  around  and  about  the  many 
lovely  islets  which  stud  its  beautiful  lagoons.  We  anchored 
at  Maravo  and  Ruviana,  taking  in  coals  at  the  latter  place  for 
our  last  long  run  at  sea.  This  was  my  first  introduction  to 
Ruviana,  and  I  was  very  much  impressed  then  with  the 
importance  of  the  place  as  a  centre  for  missionary  work  in 
the  Western  Solomons.  The  people,  however,  were  at  that 
time  strongly  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  and 
repeatedly  told  Captain  Ferguson  that  they  would  never  allow 
a  missionary  to  live  amongst  them.  They  were  a  very  numerous 
and  a  very  powerful  race  in  those  days,  and  were  known  and 
feared  by  all  the  adjacent  islanders.  They  were  indeed  the 
Vikings  of  the  Western  Solomons,  and  the  sight  of  a  Ruviana 
tomako  (war  canoe)  caused  fear  and  consternation  whenever 
one  of  them  appeared  in  the  neighbourhood  of  any  village  on 
any  of  the  large  islands  of  the  Western  Solomons.  I  preached 
to  the  few  white  traders,  and  one  of  them  who  heard  me,  Mr. 
F.  Wickham,  told  me  twenty-three  years  afterwards,  when  I 
had  the  honour  of  commencing  our  mission  in  the  Solomons 
at  Ruviana,  that  no  other  sermon  had  ever  been  preached 
during  all  those  intervening  years. 

I  was  much  interested  with  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  people,  and  felt  quite  excited  when  I  heard  a  word  which 
reminded  me  of  a  similar  one  in  our  Eastern  Polynesian 
dialects,  or  of  one  in  some  of  our  New  Britain  dialects.  Some 
of  their  customs  seemed  to  be  similar  to  those  in  Eastern 
Polynesia,  and  others  to  those  which  are  peculiar  to  the 
Western  group.  I  found  also  that  the  geographical  area  of 
our  Eastern  Polynesian  race  (or  Malayo-Polynesian  race,  as 
it  was  then  called)  must  be  considerably  extended,  as  the 
people  of  the  Sikyana,  or  Stewart's  Island,  are  almost  pure 
Samoans ;  and  I  met  on  board  the  Ripple  with  men  and 
women  from  Lord  Howe's  Group,  and  from  Abgarris,  or  Feads 
Islands,  who  spoke  a  dialect  of  the  Eastern  Polynesian  language 
— in  fact  I  could  easily  understand  most  of  what  they  said,  and  I 


344  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  certain  that  in  a  week  or  so  I  could  have  preached  to  them 
in  their  own  dialect.  The  people  on  Marqueen  Island  and 
on  the  Tasman  Group  are  also  Eastern  Polynesians,  and  I 
was  told  that  Carteret  Islands  were  once  inhabited  by  the 
same  people,  but  they  had  been  quite  exterminated  by  the 
natives  of  Bouka  Island.  I  took  down  a  number  of  words 
from  the  chief  of  Feads  Group,  who  was  on  board,  and  found 
that  by  the  observance  of  certain  changes  made  in  some  of 
the  consonants,  large  numbers  of  Samoan  words  could  readily 
be  changed  to  the  language  spoken  by  him.  One  change 
which  was  very  marked  was  that  of  the  letter  "f"  to  the 
aspirate  "  h,"  e.g.  fale,  a  house  (Samoan),  hale,  a  house  (Feads). 

We  left  Ruviana  on  Tuesday,  March  16,  and  passed 
Treasury  Island  next  day  at  sunset.  On  Saturday,  March  20, 
we  saw  the  land  at  Cape  St.  George.  I  had  only  fallen  asleep 
towards  daylight,  but  I  was  soon  awake  when  Captain  Ferguson 
came  into  the  cabin  and  said  :  "  Here's  your  New  Ireland 
coast  at  last,  that  you've  been  so  long  hoping  to  see." 

Next  day  (Sunday),  March  21,  we  were  off  Duke  of  York 
Island,  close  in  shore.  About  9  a.m.  a  canoe  came  off  from 
Waira,  a  village  about  five  miles  from  Port  Hunter.  I  saw 
that  the  teacher  was  in  her,  but  when  they  came  alongside 
I  felt  so  very  anxious  that  I  could  scarcely  muster  up  courage 
enough  to  go  and  speak  to  him,  and  when  I  attempted  to 
speak  my  mouth  was  so  dry  and  parched  that  for  some  time 
I  could  not  utter  a  word.  I  asked  him  at  length  if  all  were 
well  at  the  mission  station,  and  he  said  :  "  Yes,  sir,  all  are 
well."  Poor  fellow,  he  looked  very  ill  himself;  but  he  told 
me  he  was  well.  I  soon  found  out  that  it  was  something 
else  which  made  him  look  so  pale  and  ill.  I  asked  then 
particularly,  "  Is  Mrs.  Brown  well  ?  "  "  She's  well."  "  Is  Mabel 
well  ?  "  "  She's  well."  «  Is  Geoffrey  well  ?  "  "  He's  well,  sir." 
"  Only  Wallis  dead  ?  "  "  Only  he,  sir."  I  went  then  to  Captain 
Ferguson,  who  was  anxiously  waiting  to  hear,  and  told  him 
gladly:  "  Tis  all  right,  captain  ;  there's  no  worse  news  ;  they're 
all  right ;  only  little  Wallis  gone,  as  we  heard  in  Sydney." 


CANOE    HOUSE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry. 

HOUSES,    RUVIANA. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         345 

Oh  how  glad  I  felt,  and  how  earnestly  I  looked  out  for  the 
Heads  of  Port  Hunter,  hoping  to  see  my  dear  wife  and  children 
on  the  verandah  in  a  few  minutes.  On  looking  round,  however 
I  saw  that  the  poor  teacher,  who  was  still  standing  by  me, 
looked  pale,  and  I  took  him  into  the  cabin  and  gave  him 
some  brandy  and  quinine.  After  a  while  he  said  :  "  I  fear, 
sir,  I  have  not  told  you  aright  about  the  children.  You  must 
forgive  me,  but  I  had  not  the  heart  to  tell  you.  I  told  you 
wrong,  sir  ;  I  couldn't  bear  to  be  the  first  to  tell  you,  but 
I  must  do  so  now."  "  What  is  it,  Mijieli  ?  "  I  said.  "  Tell  me 
all ;  tell  me  quickly  !  "  "  Well,  sir,  there's  only  Geoffrey  alive." 
"  What !  Is  my  wife  dead  ? "  "  No,  sir,  she  lives  ;  but  Mabel 
has  gone,  and  Geoffrey  alone  is  left."  Then  I  knew  that  I 
should  never  again  see  our  dear  little  girl  in  this  life,  and  that 
my  poor  wife  had  borne  another  bitter  sorrow  alone.  She 
died,  I  found,  on  the  I2th  instant,  so  that  had  we  arrived  here 
ten  days  earlier,  I  should  have  been  in  time  to  see  the  dear 
girl,  and  to  share  the  sorrow  with  my  wife,  even  if  not  able 
to  help  or  save  the  child. 

But  there  was  yet  another  disappointment  for  me.  We 
were  in  full  sight  of  the  mission  house,  and  yet  no  one  appeared 
on  the  verandah  to  welcome  us.  So  I  turned  again  to  Mijieli 
and  said :  "  But  why  don't  they  come  out  ?  Where  are  they 
all,  for  they  can  surely  see  us  now  ?  "  Then  he  said  :  "  I  fear 
that  they  have  not  yet  returned  from  New  Britain.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Danks  and  Mrs.  Brown  all  went  away  soon  after  Mabel 
was  buried,  and  the  house  is  empty  now.  Mrs.  Brown  could 
not  stay  there,  sir,  when  Mabel  was  taken  away."  And  so 
after  all  that  weary  waiting  there  was  no  one  there  to  welcome 
us  back  but  the  Samoans  who  formed  part  of  our  family.  We 
soon  anchored  in  the  old  familiar  waters,  but  I  felt  quite  unwilling 
to  leave  the  ship,  which  seemed  more  like  home  to  me  than 
any  place  on  shore.  After  some  time  Captain  Ferguson 
accompanied  me,  and  we  walked  up  the  hill  to  the  house, 
and  for  the  first  time,  I  think,  I  really  felt  utterly  broken 
down,  and  began  to  think  that  our  troubles  and  sufferings 


346  GEORGE    BROWN 

were  never  going  to  end.  Close  by  the  wayside,  on  entering 
the  mission-house  grounds,  were  the  two  little  graves  of  the 
dear  children  I  had  left  so  well  and  strong.  The  mortar  was 
yet  wet  on  the  stone-work  which  was  about  that  in  which  our 
dear  little  girl  was  laid.  She  was  born  only  a  few  weeks  before 
I  left  home  in  1875,  to  commence  our  Mission  here,  and  now, 
as  we  were  nearing  the  close  of  this  part  of  our  work,  she 
had  passed  away.  I  stood  for  some  time  by  the  graves  before 
entering  the  house,  sorrowing  most  for  my  dear  wife,  who  had 
suffered  such  bitter  trials  alone.  I  did  not  then  know  how 
severe  those  trials  had  been,  nor  how  many,  and  how  severe 
others  had  been.  The  history  of  those  dark  days,  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Banks  and  my  dear  wife  suffered  so  much,  and 
endured  all  so  patiently  is  all  too  little  known  to  the  world, 
but  it  will  not  be  forgotten.  I  walked  into  the  empty  house, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  how  utterly  desolate  and  miserable 
I  felt  as  I  stood  in  our  bedroom,  and  saw  everywhere  the 
traces  of  the  painful  experiences  through  which  my  dear  wife 
had  passed.  The  room  was  all  untidy,  just  as  it  had  been 
left  when  the  body  of  our  dear  child  had  been  carried  from 
it.  Her  hat,  and,  as  I  vividly  remember,  a  little  pink  dress 
which  she  wore,  were  thrown  on  the  floor  in  one  corner  of 
the  room  ;  the  dolls  and  toys  with  which  they  had  tried  to 
amuse  her  were  still  lying  near  the  bed  on  which  she  died. 
The  medical  books  over  which  they  pored  in  vain  were  still 
about ;  and  on  the  drawers  and  table  were  the  medicine 
bottles  and  some  powders  which  Mrs.  Brown  had  prepared  for 
the  dear  child  an  hour  or  two  before  she  died.  I  stood 
speechless  with  my  great  sorrow,  until  Captain  Ferguson  came 
and,  throwing  his  arms  round  my  neck,  said  in  his  old  familiar 
way,  but  with  deep  emotion  :  "  Come  out  of  this,  old  man. 
This  is  no  place  for  you.  Come  away,  and  I  will  get  up 
steam  again,  and  we  will  go  and  look  for  Mrs.  Brown."  I  was 
glad  to  get  away,  and  after  looking  again  at  the  house  and  at 
the  two  little  graves,  we  went  on  board  the  Ripple,  and  at  10  p.m. 
we  started  for  Kabakada,  where  I  expected  they  had  all  gone. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         347 

On  Monday  morning,  the  22nd,  we  were  off  Kabakada, 
and  were  anxiously  looking  out  for  them.  For  some  time  we 
were  in  doubt,  but  at  last  saw  some  people  on  the  verandah, 
and  soon  after  we  made  out  the  boat  on  the  beach  ;  so  I  knew 
that  they  were  there.  The  boat  was  soon  launched,  and  was 
quickly  alongside  the  vessel,  and  at  last  I  saw  my  dear  wife, 
pale  with  excitement,  and  with  plain  traces  in  her  face  of 
the  effects  of  her  many  trials.  I  cannot  describe  our  meeting 
when  I  led  her  into  the  Ripple's  cabin.  For  a  long  time 
speech  was  impossible,  and  we  could  only  weep  together. 
We  sustained  ourselves  with  the  precious  words  of  comfort 
from  Him  who  is  the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all 
comfort,  and  He  upheld  us  in  our  affliction.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Danks  were  looking  better  than  I  had  expected  to  find  them, 
but  they  had  evidently  passed  through  deep  waters  also.  Mrs. 
Danks  had  been  very  ill  indeed  toward  the  close  of  the  previous 
year,  and  even  then  she  was  far  from  being  strong  and  well ; 
but  we  hoped  she  would  soon  be  all  right  again.  The  Ripple 
left  us  the  same  afternoon,  after  Mr.  Danks's  goods  were  landed, 
and  then  we  were  able  to  talk  together  about  all  that  had 
been  taking  place  during  my  absence. 

I  found  that  he  had  been  blamed  by  some  of  the  traders 
for  the  advice  which  he  had  given  to  the  natives  not  to  go 
in  any  vessel  which  was  recruiting  labour  for  distant  places 
far  away  from  their  own  homes.  I  had  previously  given  them 
the  same  advice,  and  Mr.  Danks  was  only  following  my  example, 
but  as  I  was  absent  he  had  to  bear  the  blame  alone.  Some  of 
the  teachers  had  also  been  behaving  foolishly,  and  had  given 
him  trouble,  and  so  he  very  gladly  welcomed  us  back  to  the 
work  again.  My  own  impressions  of  the  state  of  the  work 
I  gave  in  a  letter  to  the  General  Secretary,  and  are  expressed 
in  the  following  extract :  "  On  the  whole,  I  am  well  pleased 
with  the  state  of  the  district.  Brother  Danks  has  made  very 
rapid  progress  with  the  language,  and  is  fully  able  to  do 
good  work.  About  his  willingness  to  work  I  have  told  you 
before,  and  need  not  repeat  it  now.  His  heart  is  in  his  work. 


348  GEORGE    BROWN 

His  knowledge  of  the  Duke  of  York  language  will  be  in- 
valuable to  him  in  New  Britain,  in  fact,  he  will  have  very 
little  trouble  indeed  in  learning  the  language,  as  the  idiom 
and  a  large  proportion  of  the  words  are  alike.  He  reports 
that  a  day  or  two  before  our  arrival  he  baptized  the  New 
Britain  chief  of  whom  I  told  you.  There  are  several  also 
who  are  waiting  to  be  baptized.  The  little  book  in  Duke 
of  York  language  which  I  sent  down  from  Sydney  has  been 
made  good  use  of,  and,  rough  as  it  is,  has  already  done  good 
service.  The  Sunday  is  well  observed  at  most  of  our  stations, 
especially  at  Port  Hunter.  The  boys  and  young  men  who 
have  been  under  Mr.  Danks  have  made  good  progress,  and 
several  of  them  can  now  read  portions  of  the  lesson-book  and 
first  catechism  in  their  own  language.  I  have  not  yet  seen 
much  of  the  work  on  any  of  the  out-stations,  but  all  I  hear  is 
as  favourable  as  we  can  expect." 

Soon  after  the  Ripple  left  us  we  returned  from  Kabakada, 
and  I  was  very  glad  indeed  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danks  were 
able  to  accompany  us.  Our  return  to  our  old  home  was  very 
painful  to  my  dear  wife  and  myself,  but  especially  to  her, 
as  wherever  she  went,  either  in  the  house  or  about  the  station, 
there  were  many  reminders  of  the  children  we  had  lost,  and 
of  the  other  painful  experiences  of  the  previous  months.  My 
wife  had  little  or  no  fever  until  our  little  boy  died.  She 
was  wonderfully  sustained  in  health  during  what  Mr.  Danks 
called  "  those  dark  days."  He  told  me  that  they  fully  believed 
that  had  Mrs.  Brown  been  taken  ill  they  would  all  have  died. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danks  often  spoke  of  some  of  their  painful 
experiences  during  my  absence.  He  said  that  one  night  when 
Mrs.  Brown  was  nursing  her  sick  child  she  became  very  uneasy 
about  Mrs.  Danks,  and  though  she  had  not  heard  anything  to 
excite  her  fears,  and  naturally  supposed  that  all  in  the  house 
were  asleep,  she  had  a  powerful  impression  that  she  must  go 
and  see  how  she  was.  So,  leaving  the  child  on  the  bed,  she 
determined  to  go  as  far  as  the  door  of  the  room  which  was 
occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danks,  and,  if  necessary,  ask  if 


COAST   SCENE,    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         349 

they  needed  help.  On  her  way  she  found  Mrs.  Danks  lying 
on  the  floor  in  the  passage  quite  helpless,  and  vainly  trying 
to  make  one  of  the  Samoan  servants  hear  her  cries.  She 
had  felt  herself  very  ill  during  the  night,  and  had  vainly 
tried  to  awaken  her  husband,  but  he  himself  was  almost 
unconscious  and  quite  unable  to  help  her.  She  then  slipped 
down  to  the  ground,  and  crept  as  far  as  the  doorway  of  the 
passage  on  her  way  to  Mrs.  Brown's  room,  when  her  strength 
utterly  failed,  and  she  could  neither  make  herself  heard  nor 
could  she  get  back  to  her  room  again  ;  and  in  this  state  Mrs. 
Brown  found  her. 

The  story  of  the  death  of  our  little  boy,  as  given  me  by 
Mr.  Danks,  can  be  given  in  a  few  words.  He  said  :  "  We  were 
all  feeling  very  anxious  one  day  about  Geoffrey  and  Wallis, 
but  could  do  but  little  to  help.  Mrs.  Danks  was  very  ill  in 
one  room,  poor  Geoffrey  was  tossing  about  in  another  room 
on  the  sofa  or  on  the  floor.  I  was  lying  down  weak  and  ill 
on  the  verandah,  and  Mrs.  Brown  was  nursing  Wallis  a  few 
yards  away,  when  she  suddenly  called  out  to  me  :  '  Oh  !  Mr. 
Danks,  he  is  dead.'  And  so  her  great  sorrow  came  upon  her." 
Not  many  words,  'tis  true,  but  who  could  write  the  story  in 
full  ?  Those  were  days  of  trial  and  sorrow  for  all  that  small 
party  in  New  Britain,  and  they  were  followed  by  some  weary 
months  of  anxiety  and  dread  as  day  after  day  and  week  after 
week  passed  away  without  the  appearance  of  the  long-overdue 
mission  ship.  It  was  known  by  them  that  we  had  left  Fiji 
in  November,  and  so  were  due  in  New  Britain  early  in 
December  ;  but  it  was  not  until  near  the  end  of  March  that 
I  reached  them  in  the  Ripple,  after  the  conviction  had  been 
forced  upon  my  dear  wife  that  I  had  been  lost  at  sea,  and 
after  she  had  been  called  upon  to  suffer  the  loss  of  our  dear 
little  Mabel.  And  all  the  time  we  were  drifting  1,800  miles 
towards  Sydney,  when  we  might  have  been  landed  in  a  few 
days  at  St.  Christoval,  and  I  could  have  reached  home  from 
there  in  a  few  weeks  at  the  latest! 

One  of  the  saddest  stories  told  me  was  that  of  the  illness 


350  GEORGE    BROWN 

and  death  of  our  dear  girl.  Often  when  she  was  recovering 
from  an  attack  of  fever  she  would  look  out  to  sea,  and  then 
turn  to  her  mother  and  cry :  "  Oh,  mamma,  why  doesn't  father 
come  back  to  us  ?  "  And  all  this  might  have  been  avoided  ! 
I  think  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  I  wrote  in  my  letter 
to  the  General  Secretary,  that  "  the  dispensations  of  our  Father 
in  heaven,  though  painful,  are  easy  to  bear  ;  it  is  the  folly  and 
selfishness  of  man  which  are  so  hard  to  endure."  At  the  time 
I  was  writing  this  to  Mr.  Chapman  my  colleague,  Mr.  Banks, 
was  also  writing  to  him.  I  did  not  see  the  letter  until  it  was 
published  in  our  Connexional  paper,  but  I  have  always  felt 
grateful  for  the  kindly  appreciation  and  sympathy  expressed 
in  it,  and  I  will  close  this  part  of  my  story  by  giving  an  ex- 
tract from  it.  The  concluding  part  of  the  letter,  which  I  do 
not  publish  in  full,  contained  a  strong  protest  from  Mr.  Danks 
against  the  action  of  the  Captain  of  the  John  Wesley,  and 
gave  the  opinion  of  Captain  Ferguson,  who  was  at  St. 
Christoval  in  the  S.S.  Ripple  at  the  time,  and  who  would 
certainly  have  seen  or  heard  of  the  vessel  if  she  were  near 
the  land,  and  also  that  of  other  captains  and  traders,  that 
there  was  no  difficulty  whatever  in  reaching  St.  Christoval  ; 
that  the  Ripple,  Avoca,  and  other  vessels  were  there  at  the  time, 
and  that  there  was  every  facility  for  putting  the  John  Wesley 
in  a  good  seagoing  condition,  so  that  she  could  either  have 
continued  her  voyage  to  Duke  of  York  Island,  or  transferred 
passengers  and  cargo  to  another  vessel,  to  be  brought  on  whilst 
she  returned  to  Sydney.  Mr.  Danks  in  recording  his  protest 
said  :  "  Our  provisions  had  almost  all  gone,  our  most  important 
medicines  were  all  gone,  our  barter  goods  were  fast  coming  to 
an  end,  many  of  our  teachers  were  dragging  out  a  most  miser- 
able existence,  for  our  stores  for  them  had  all  been  given  out, 
and  most  of  mine  had  also  gone  to  them,  disease  and  death 

were  in  our  families,  whilst   Captain sailed    1,800  miles 

back  to  Sydney  without  making  an  honest  attempt  to  go  100 
miles,  and  place  himself  in  a  position  whence  help  could 
have  been  sent  to  us."  We  all  felt  deeply  hurt  at  the  time, 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        351 

and  though  the  wound  has  long  been  healed  there  is  a  deep 
scar  left  which  time  cannot  quite  obliterate. 

The  following  is  the  extract  from  Mr.  Danks's  letter  to  the 
General  Secretary,  dated  March  29,  1880:  "You  will  be  glad 
to  know  of  the  safe  return  of  Mr.  Brown  to  this,  the  scene 
of  his  former  labours,  and  of  so  much  sorrow  during  his  absence. 
He  is  looking  wonderfully  improved,  and  I  trust  he  will 
continue  to  go  on  improving.  I  never  thought  to  see  him 
here  again  when  I  saw  him  depart,  some  eleven  months  ago. 
God  has  been  good  to  us  all  in  sending  him  back  to  us, 
especially  in  a  fit  condition  to  remain  ;  for  if  he  could  not 
have  done  so,  our  Mission  must  have  suffered  great  and,  for 
some  years,  at  least,  irreparable  loss.  Now  that  we  have  him 
back  again,  I  trust  in  a  few  months  to  have  a  copy  of  one 
of  the  Gospels,  at  least,  in  our  hands  written  in  the  Duke  of 
York  language. 

"  On  Mr.  Brown's  arrival  at  Duke  of  York  he  found  us  all 
at  New  Britain,  where  we  had  gone  to  get  away,  if  only  for 
a  short  time,  from  the  scene  of  so  much  sorrow  and  affliction. 
Sad  indeed  must  have  been  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  our 
dear  brother  as  he  stood  beside  the  graves  of  his  two  little 
children,  and  there  tried  to  form  some  estimate  of  the  dark, 
dark  days  which  his  wife  must  have  passed  through  during 
his  absence.  When  I  speak  of  those  days  I  must  ever  speak 
of  them  as  the  dark  days  of  my  mission  life,  for  I  cannot 
conceive  it  possible  to  have  more  trouble  and  more  darkness 
than  we  had  then.  It  seemed  to  us  as  though  the  very 
heavens  were  closed  against  our  cries  of  agony,  and  that  we 
were  left  alone  in  our  misery.  Whoever  undertakes  to  write 
the  history  of  our  Mission  here  will  fail  to  fulfil  his  task  if  he 
does  not  give  to  the  world  the  story  of  poor  Mrs.  Brown's 
trouble,  and  her  Christian  patience  and  faith  while  passing 
through  such  deep  waters.  And  I  wish  the  world  to  know 
how  that,  when  nursing  her  dear  little  boy  Wallis,  expecting 
him  to  die  every  moment,  she  had  still  a  kindly  word  of 
encouragement  for  me,  as  I  lay  on  the  sofa  too  weak  to  move 


352  GEORGE    BROWN 

myself,  and  expecting  every  moment  to  hear  of  my  wife's 
death.  I  well  remember  that  morning,  for  one  of  our  teachers 
had  just  returned  from  New  Britain  bringing  with  him  two 
other  teachers,  who  were  also  at  death's  door.  He  sat  on  the 
floor  close  to  my  side,  and  the  tears  came  into  his  eyes  as 
he  looked  at  me  lying  there  so  helpless  ;  and  when  he  told  me 
of  the  state  of  the  two  teachers  he  had  brought  across,  I 
could  stand  it  no  longer,  but  burst  out  into  an  agony  of  tears, 
and  felt  utterly  desolate.  I  am  not  given  to  crying,  but  I 
don't  think  anybody  will  charge  me  with  unmanliness  for 
so  doing,  if  it  be  remembered  how  that  one  of  Mrs.  Brown's 
children  was  at  the  point  of  death,  another  seriously  ill, 
Mrs.  Danks  in  a  semi-conscious  state,  and  myself  unable 
to  get  about.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  Mrs.  Brown  moved 
about  the  house  supplying  all  our  bodily  wants,  and  giving 
words  of  comfort  even  when  her  own  load  was  too  heavy 
to  carry.  If  we  had  been  without  her  assistance  some  one  would 
have  had  to  record,  if  not  the  death  of  either  Mrs.  Danks  or 
myself,  a  very  prolonged  illness,  which  would  have  necessitated 
our  removal  from  this  very  interesting  field  of  labour. 

"  No  one  can  possibly  know  the  desolation  of  our  house 
after  the  departure  of  Wallis.  My  heart  ached  for  poor  Mrs. 
Brown,  as  she  went  about  the  house  with  tearful  eyes  and 
stooping  gait,  as  though  the  inward  burden  was  exercising  not 
only  a  mental,  but  a  physical  influence  upon  her.  When  she 
went  upstairs  and  locked  the  store-room  door,  we  knew  what  it 
was  for — that  she  might  weep  in  silence  over  the  dear  departed 
one.  As  she  walked  outside  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  we 
knew  why  she  did  so — that  she  might  weep  at  the  little  one's 
grave.  As  our  heads  bowed  in  prayer,  the  tear  unbidden  would 
flow  ;  and  thus  for  months.  We  were  at  last  beginning  to  get 
over  that,  when  this  last  affliction  came,  which  has  again  made 
a  gap  in  Mr.  Brown's  family.  On  February  2  Mabel  was 
taken  ill  with  low  continued  fever.  For  fourteen  days  she 
lived  on,  undergoing  great  pain,  and  gradually  getting  weaker 
and  weaker.  She  ate  nothing  worth  speaking  of  all  that  time, 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        353 

and  was  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton.  On  the  fifteenth  day  the 
complaint  suddenly  changed  or  merged  into  a  lung  or  throat 
disease,  which  terminated  in  death  on  the  nth  instant.  We 
buried  her  next  day  by  the  side  of  Wallis,  who  that  very  day 
five  months  previously  had  departed  this  life. 

"  We  could  not  remain  on  Duke  of  York  any  longer.  We 
all  felt  the  necessity  of  a  change,  especially  as  Mrs.  Danks  was 
still  weak  from  a  prolonged  attack  of  fever,  which  had  lasted 
over  fourteen  days  ;  Geoffrey  also  was  going  about  the  house 
pale  and  sickly  looking  ;  and  I  myself  had  had  another  good 
shaking.  So  we  determined  to  make  a  tour  of  all  the  New 
Britain  stations.  On  our  first  day  out  Mrs.  Danks  was  very  ill 
indeed,  and  I  thought  of  turning  back,  but  as  she  was  much 
better  by  next  morning  we  pushed  on  from  the  uninhabited 
island  of  Palakuuru,  where  we  passed  the  night,  and  about  nine 
o'clock  reached  the  house  of  our  own  catechist  who  is  stationed 
at  Kininigunan. 

"  We  reached  Kabakada  on  Saturday  afternoon,  and  in- 
tended to  remain  there  till  the  following  Wednesday,  and  then 
start  back  for  Duke  of  York,  so  as  to  be  home  for  Good  Friday. 
'  Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes,'  is  a  well-known  saying,  but 
none  the  less  true  on  that  account.  Little  did  we  think  of 
seeing  Mr.  Brown  at  Kabakada  on  the  following  Monday 
morning  ;  but  we  did.  ...  I  pass  over  our  meeting  on  board 
the  S.S.  Rippk ;  it  is  too  hallowed,  too  sacred,  too  full  of  joy 
and  sorrow  to  attempt  to  expose  it  to  the  world's  gaze.  The 
deck  of  the  busy,  smart  Ripple  will  have  associated  with  it  in 
my  mind  one  of  the  most  painful,  yet  the  most  comforting 
scenes  it  has  been  my  lot  to  witness — the  meeting  of  man  and 
wife  after  such  a  separation  as  that  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown. 
May  they  long  live  to  be  a  comfort  to  each  other,  and  a 
blessing  to  the  thousands  around  them,  who  have  need  of  their 
sympathetic  and  earnest  labours." 

On  Wednesday,  March   31,  1880,  just  ten  days  after  my 

23 


354  GEORGE    BROWN 

return,  and  two  days  after  the  Ripple  had  left  us  for  Meoko 
(Port  Wesley)  we  were  surprised  by  the  arrival  of  one  of  our 
teachers  from  New  Ireland,  bringing  with  him  three  men  who 
had  arrived  on  his  station  at  Topaia  in  a  destitute  condition 
endeavouring  to  make  their  way  to  Port  Hunter.  These  men 
reported  to  us  the  arrival  of  a  large  colonising  expedition  at 
Likiliki,  about  twelve  miles  round  Cape  St.  George,  some  few 
weeks  previously.  They  told  us  that  there  was  a  large  number 
of  men  there,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  ill  with  fever  and  in  a 
very  destitute  condition.  I  ordered  my  boat  to  be  got  ready, 
and  we  determined  to  go  at  once  and  ascertain  what  were 
the  real  facts  of  the  case.  Though  Likiliki  was  more  than  one 
hundred  miles  away  from  Port  Hunter,  and  neither  Mr.  Danks 
nor  I  was  in  a  very  good  condition  for  taking  such  a  journey, 
we  started  in  about  an  hour  after  receiving  the  news.  On  our 
way  across  the  channel  we  boarded  a  German  schooner,  and 
reported  the  matter  to  Mr.  Blohm,  who  promised  to  render 
any  assistance  he  was  able  to  if  I  would  report  to  him  on 
my  return.  In  the  far  distance  we  saw,  much  to  our  disappoint- 
ment, the  steamer  Ripple,  apparently  heading  directly  for  the 
Solomons,  and  we  felt  very  sorry  indeed  that  we  had  not  been 
able  to  intercept  her.  We  had  a  very  heavy  pull  under  a 
blazing  hot  sun,  without  a  breath  of  wind  to  help  us.  I  deeply 
pitied  the  poor  teachers,  who  were  quite  exhausted  with  the 
heavy  work  of  pulling  the  boat  in  the  fearful  heat.  We  were 
all  glad  indeed  to  get  on  shore  on  the  New  Ireland  coast  about 
sunset.  I  said  nothing  to  the  men  until  they  had  rested  for 
an  hour  or  two,  and  had  been  refreshed  by  a  good  supper,  but 
I  felt  very  anxious  to  get  on  our  journey,  and  so  I  told  them 
that  we  were  almost  certain  to  have  a  strong  land  breeze  after 
the  great  heat  of  the  day ;  that  they  could  sleep  as  well  in  the 
boat  as  on  shore ;  and  that  we  would  steer  the  boat  when  the 
breeze  came  whilst  they  got  their  much-needed  rest.  This  they 
consented  to  do ;  and  as  I  predicted,  we  got  a  fine  breeze  off 
the  land,  which  enabled  us  to  lay  right  along  the  coast.  Mr. 
Danks  and  I  steered  the  most  of  the  night,  and  at  daylight, 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE         355 

to  our  great  joy,  we  saw  the  Ripple  only  a  few  miles  ahead  of 
us.  We  concluded  at  once  that  Captain  Ferguson  had  called 
at  Port  Carteret,  and  had  heard  of  the  settlement,  and  was 
on  his  way  back  to  Port  Hunter  to  inform  us  of  it.  When  we 
got  on  board,  however,  we  found  that  he  knew  nothing  whatever 
of  it,  and  was  very  much  surprised  when  I  told  him.  He  said 
that  he  had  gone  into  Port  Carteret  the  night  before,  but  the 
natives  appeared  to  be  so  excited  that  he  deemed  it  best  to  go 
outside  again  and  wait  until  daylight.  This  he  did,  and  when 
he  saw  our  boat  he  thought  that  some  one  was  sick,  and  kindly 
waited  for  us.  As  soon  as  we  were  on  board  he  took  the  boat 
in  tow,  and  we  steamed  into  Port  Carteret.  Soon  after  we 
entered  we  met  a  boat  belonging  to  the  German  firm,  in  which 
were  Captain  McLaughlin  and  several  sick  men,  who  were  on 
their  way  to  our  station  at  Duke  of  York.  It  was  very  sad 
indeed  to  see  the  deplorable  condition  in  which  some  of  these 
poor  men  were,  and  it  was  an  exciting  time  when  they  were 
lifted  on  board,  where  Captain  Ferguson  attended  to  them  with 
his  usual  kindness.  From  Captain  McLaughlin  we  learned  the 
following  particulars. 

The  ship  Chandernagore,  Captain  Jos  Seykens,  left  the  port 
of  Flushing  on  September  14,  1879,  called  at  the  Cape  de  Verde 
Islands  October  3,  sighted  Louisiade  Islands  January  i,  landed 
seventeen  colonists,  in  charge  of  M.  Charles  Noetinger,  at  the 
Laughlin  Islands,  with  provisions  for  three  months.  The 
author  of  the  expedition  was  Charles  du  Breil,  Marquis  de  Rays, 
the  scheme  having  for  its  object  the  founding  of  a  free  colony, 
under  the  name  of  "  Free  Colony  of  Port  Breton,"  including  the 
archipelago  of  New  Britain  and  the  Solomon  Islands,  as  well 
as  that  part  of  New  Guinea  unoccupied  by  the  Dutch.  They 
arrived  at  Port  Praslin  on  January  16,  and  from  there  went  round 
to  a  bay  near  Cape  Bougainville  about  February  I.  The  ship 
departed  suddenly  without  notice,  February  20,  leaving  some 
stores,  but  no  medicine.  The  Major  Commandant  of  the 
colony,  M.  de  la  Croix,  left  with  her.  Sickness  soon  broke 
out  One  man  died  ;  six  more  left  by  stealth  in  a  boat  on 


356  GEORGE    BROWN 

February  29,  and  had  not  been  heard  of.  Towards  the  middle 
of  March  nearly  the  whole  of  the  party  were  sick  with  fever 
and  bad  sores,  and  in  this  deplorable  condition  we  found  them. 
Just  before  reaching  the  place,  we  met  another  party  of  three 
men,  who  had  left  in  a  small  canoe,  preferring  to  risk  the  long 
voyage,  and  the  danger  from  natives  on  the  way,  rather  than 
remain  any  longer  there.  We  had  to  anchor  for  the  night 
before  proceeding  to  the  settlement. 

I  well  remember  some  of  the  incidents  of  that  night.     The 
cruel  scorching  that  we  had  received  in  the  boat  during  the 
day,  followed  as  it  was  by  the  heavy  dew-laden  and  cold  land- 
breeze  during  the  night,  had  brought  on  a  most  violent   attack 
of  elephantiasis,  and  I  was  utterly  unable  to  move.     Captains 
Ferguson  and  McLaughlin  were  both  educated  men,  and  they 
passed  a  great  part  of  the  night  in  discussing  Herbert  Spencer's 
Study  of  Sociology,  which  had  recently  been  published.     I  never 
see  the  book  now  without  thinking  of  that  night,  for  when  I 
was  tossing  about  half  delirious  with  fever  each  time  I  woke 
I  would  hear  the  discussion  on  the  educational  bias,  the  bias 
of  patriotism,  the  class  bias,  the  political  bias,  the  theological 
bias  ;  and  the  headings  of  these  chapters  have  ever  since  been 
associated  in  my  mind  with  one  of  the  most  violent  attacks  of 
elephantiasis  that  I  ever  experienced.     Next  day  we  were  on 
our  way  very  early,  and  after  rounding  Cape  St.  George  we 
went  on  to  the  bay  of  Likiliki,  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  New  Ireland.     I  was  not  able  to  go  on 
shore,  but  Mr.  Banks  went,  and  saw  the  men,  and  received  their 
earnest  entreaties  to  be  taken  away  at  once  to  some  place  where 
proper  food  and  medicine  could  be  given  to  them.     I  realised 
the  difficulty  of  my  position  in   interfering  with  any  scheme 
of  settlement,  but  at  the  same  time  I  felt  that  unless  something 
was  done  many  of  the  men  would  die ;  and  it  was  absolutely 
certain  that  there  would  have  been  very  serious  trouble  as  soon 
as  we  left  them.     I  stated  these  difficulties  to  Captains  Ferguson 
and  McLaughlin,  and  also  to  the  men,  telling  them  that  I  could 
only  grant  their  request  on  the  ground  of  humanity,  and  by 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        357 

their  own  written  petition  to  me  to  do  so,  and  further,  that  I 
could  only  grant  their  request  if  the  officer  in  command  also 
asked  me  to  do  so.  They  at  once  prepared  the  following 
petition  : 

"To  THE  REV.  GEORGE  BROWN, 

"  Superintendent  of  the   Wesley  an  Australasian  Missions 

at  Port  Hunter, 

"SIR  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned  colonists  at  Likiliki,  being  in 
the  utmost  distress  from  fever  and  want  of  proper  medicine 
and  nourishment,  beg  you  to  use  your  influence  to  have  us 
transported  to  a  place  where  we  can  be  sheltered  and  properly 
taken  care  of.  We  severally  promise  to  submit  to  all  the  rules 
and  regulations  of  your  establishment,  and  to  act  as  honourable 
men  while  under  your  guidance  and  care."  This  was  signed 
by  forty  of  the  colonists. 

I  also  received  another  letter  from  Captain  McLaughlin,  as 
follows : 

"  REV.  MR.  GEORGE  BROWN, 
"  SIR  — 

"  All  these  men  having  already  intimated  to  me  by  a 
signed  paper  their  desire  to  leave  Likiliki  by  any  route  to  join 
your  establishment,  from  the  motives  stated  in  their  prayer  to 
you,  and  in  which  I  am  obliged  to  concur,  I  thank  you  in 
advance  in  the  name  of  humanity  for  any  aid  and  assistance 
you  may  be  able  to  give  them. 

"CAPTAIN  MCLAUGHLIN. 

"  LIKILIKI,  April  2,  1880." 

After  receiving  this  I  arranged  that  Captain  Ferguson  should 
convey  the  party  to  our  station  at  Port  Hunter,  which  he  very 
kindly  consented  to  do,  at  some  personal  inconvenience  and 
loss.  The  only  recompense  he  received  was  a  number  of  rifles 
which  the  sick  men  had,  and  which  were  of  no  further  use  to 
them.  Indeed  we  were  very  glad  to  get  them  away  from  them. 
Mr.  Banks  told  me  that  it  was  really  piteous  to  see  the  eager 


358  GEORGE    BROWN 

way  in  which  the  poor  men  almost  rushed  the  boat,  so  much 
were  they  afraid  of  being  left  behind. 

We  arrived  in  Port  Hunter  at  midnight,  but  I  was  not  able 
to  land  until  daylight,  when  I  was  carried  up  to  the  house, 
where  I  made  another  good  resolution  to  take  great  care  and 
avoid  all  unnecessary  exposure  in  future.  I  felt,  however,  no 
condemnation  for  our  action  in  this  instance,  as  the  necessity 
was  very  great  and  we  were  perfectly  justified  in  incurring  the 
risk.  I  suffered  severely  from  the  strain  and  exposure.  One 
of  the  poor  men  that  we  brought  back  died  the  day  after 
landing.  We  had  then  forty-one  in  all,  and  knew  that  we 
should  have  no  little  difficulty  in  supplying  their  wants  if  their 
expected  vessel  was  long  in  coming.  Captain  Ferguson  very 
kindly  left  some  stores  for  them,  Captain  McLaughlin  put 
on  board  some  biscuits,  pork,  cheese,  and  a  few  other  things, 
and  Mr.  Blohm,  a  few  days  later,  forwarded  some  very 
acceptable  supplies. 

The  following  list  of  names  was  supplied  to  me  whilst  the 
men  were  residing  at  Port  Hunter  :  Schulz,  Tetzlaff — these  two 
went  to  Mr.  Kleinshmidt.  De  Nassau,  Buch,  Gasser — these 
three  went  in  German  steamer.  Jerome  Semeriva  (?),  Leroux, 
Lemeure,  Car,  Vincent — these  five  went  with  Mr.  Embleton. 
Krause,  Grandry,  Bocquet,  Hervais,  Vorndran,  Eck,  Caul, 
Furtz,  Urban,  Erbslande,  Diedrich,  Hoberg,  De  Lavour,  De 
Lavande,  Joseph  Bricanne,  Horneck,  Lemelle,  Lourdeaux,  Bret, 
Strevenard,  Douchet,  Becker,  Scheurmann,  Lachet,  Mangny, 
Kaisen,  Chauvaux,  Schaeff,  Coenen,  Brandt,  Benninger, 
Schoesler,  Glachet,  Gervais,  Kurmilla,  Muret,  Binz,  Canals,  of 
these  Krause  died  on  April  4,  Urban  and  Grandy  on  May  2, 
De  Lavande  and  Hoberg  on  May  4,  Erbslande  on  May  14,  and 
Lourdeaux  on  May  18. 

In    this   list   I   do   not   find   the  names  of  Brunois,  Johan 

Malmgrene  (?),  Mr.  Schmit  (?)  and  Le  ,  who  signed  the 

petition  for  removal. 

Our  first  work  was  to  build  houses  for  the  men,  and  in  this 
I  naturally  expected  to  receive  some  assistance  from  the  able- 


THIRD  TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        359 

bodied  immigrants,  but  we  received  little  or  no  help  from  them. 
They  were  quite  dispirited,  and  appeared  to  have  no  bond  of 
union  or  spirit  of  comradeship  amongst  them.  Nearly  all  the 
work  had  to  be  done  by  our  teachers  and  the  natives  whom  I 
employed  and  paid.  A  large  number  were  sick  and  utterly 
unable  to  work.  They  were  suffering  from  fever,  ulcers,  and 
malarious  dysentery.  Many  of  them  had  sold  most  of  their 
clothes  to  the  natives  for  food  previous  to  their  coming.  Some 
of  those  who  were  sick  were  lying  about  in  a  most  filthy 
condition,  and  some  of  them  half  naked.  I  saw  some  dreadful 
sights  at  this  time  which  will  not  bear  to  be  reported  in  print. 
One  man  swam  out  to  sea  and  tried  to  drown  himself,  but  we 
sent  a  canoe  after  him  and  brought  him  back.  I  fortunately 
had  secured  a  case  of  spirits  from  Captain  Ferguson,  and  I  used 
to  go  round  amongst  the  sick,  giving  them  large  doses  of  quinine 
together  with  a  little  stimulant,  which  proved  very  effective 
in  most  cases.  I  tried  to  get  some  of  the  men  to  act  as  nurses, 
but  with  very  little  success,  and  at  last  we  had  to  get  the  worst 
cases  up  to  our  own  grounds,  and  erect  some  cottage  hospitals 
for  them,  where  they  were  fed  from  our  own  table.  This  was 
no  little  tax  upon  Mrs.  Brown,  and  also  upon  our  resources.  I 
gave  special  supplies  to  any  one  who  would  volunteer  to  attend 
upon  the  sick,  but  most  of  the  men  seemed  quite  content  with 
the  food  which  was  provided  for  them  daily.  We  gave  as  many 
clothes  as  we  could  to  those  who  were  in  most  need  of  them, 
and  sent  boats  away  regularly  to  purchase  yams,  taro,  bananas, 
and  other  fruits  for  them.  In  addition  to  these  they  had  fish, 
tinned  meats,  pork,  and  cheese.  Every  man  was  supplied 
regularly  also  with  an  allowance  of  tobacco  for  his  own  use,  or 
with  which  to  purchase  additional  food  from  the  natives.  Many 
of  the  men,  I  found,  were  Protestants,  but  we  treated  all  alike, 
quite  irrespective  of  the  faith  which  they  professed,  and  I  think 
they  were  all  grateful  to  us.  They  naturally  enough,  however, 
looked  to  us  for  the  supply  of  all  their  wants,  and  we  were 
continually  receiving  requests  from  them.  These  we  granted 
as  far  as  possible. 


360  GEORGE    BROWN 

When  our  stock  of  biscuits  got  very  low  I  told  them  that,  as 
I  had  only  one  tin  left,  I  purposed  keeping  that  for  those  who 
were  sick,  and  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  give  any  regular 
allowance  of  biscuits  until  our  supplies  were  replenished  from 
Sydney.  We  took  very  good  care,  however,  that  they  were 
abundantly  supplied  with  good  native  food,  together  with  the 
articles  I  have  already  mentioned.  The  day  after  I  had  made 
the  announcement  that  no  more  biscuits  could  be  supplied,  one 
of  the  men  came  up  as  usual  for  the  supply,  and  on  my  telling 
him  that  there  were  no  more  biscuits  available  he  became  some- 
what impertinent,  and  told  me  that  he  must  have  biscuits,  or  he 
would  die.  This  made  me  very  indignant,  and  I  spoke  my 
mind  to  him  very  freely  indeed.  I  told  him  that  the  best  thing 
he  could  do  was  to  go  away  and  die  as  soon  as  possible,  for  he 
did  not  appear  to  me  to  be  of  much  use  in  the  world,  and  that 
a  man  who  in  the  possession  of  good  health  and  strength  could 
be  so  indifferent  to  the  necessities  of  his  sick  comrades  deserved 
very  little  consideration  from  us.  As  soon  as  he  had  gone  I 
sent  down  for  the  officer  in  charge,  Mr.  Brandt,  and  told  him 
that  he  was  to  gather  the  men  together,  and  tell  them  that  they 
were  to  get  ready  and  we  would  take  them  all  back  to  Likiliki 
on  the  following  morning.  On  his  inquiring  the  reason  for  this 
action  I  told  him  of  the  request  which  had  just  been  made  to 
me,  and  asked  him  to  tell  the  men  that  as  I  presumed  the 
messenger  whom  they  had  sent  had  fairly  represented  their 
wishes,  there  was  no  other  course  open  for  me,  as  I  had  no  more 
biscuits,  and  I  did  not  wish  them  all  to  die  on  my  hands.  Mr. 
Brandt  went  down  and  reported  this,  and  in  a  short  time  after- 
wards I  had  to  go  down  and  intercede  for  the  messenger,  as 
they  were  preparing  to  inflict  summary  punishment  upon  him. 
They  positively  refused  to  go  away,  and  promised  again  that 
there  should  be  no  further  trouble. 

I  cannot  give  in  full  detail  a  proper  account  of  the  sad 
deaths  which  I  witnessed.  We  did  all  that  we  possibly  could 
for  those  who  were  sick,  but  some  of  the  cases  were  too  far 
advanced  for  any  effective  help.  It  was  very  sad  to  hear  their 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        361 

complaints  and  cries.  "  Oh  !  mother,  mother,  my  mother  !  " 
was  the  pathetic  moan  of  one  poor  man  whom  we  thought  to 
be  dying.  We  removed  him  to  the  Mission  premises,  and  the 
poor  lad  got  well ;  so  I  hope  he  saw  his  much-loved  mother  again. 
The  poor  little  man  who  tried  to  drown  himself  was  always 
talking  about  his  brother,  and  calling  out  for  him  to  come. 
He  saw  Mr.  Danks  one  day,  and  at  once  threw  his  arms  round 
him  and  cried  that  he  had  at  last  found  his  brother  again.  But 
the  most  dreadful  sight  I  ever  saw  was  the  death  of  one  of  these 
unfortunate  men.  We  placed  him  in  one  of  the  cottage 
hospitals  in  our  own  grounds,  in  which  we  made  two  bedsteads, 
which  were  carefully  covered  with  fresh  dried  leaves  every  day. 
On  each  morning  he  had  to  be  lifted  from  one  bedstead  to  the 
other,  and  the  leaves  on  which  he  had  slept  taken  out  and 
burned,  and  then  replaced  with  a  fresh  lot ;  and  the  same  plan 
had  to  be  pursued  each  evening.  He  was  in  a  most  dreadful 
condition,  and  I  cannot  possibly  give  the  details.  When  I  saw 
that  he  was  near  death  I  sent  down  to  Mr.  Brandt,  and  told  him 
that  he  was  to  appoint  two  men  to  sit  with  this  poor  man 
during  the  night.  I  said  that  he  was  not  to  ask  for  volunteers 
again,  but  simply  to  make  the  appointment,  and  that  if  the  men 
did  not  come,  I  should  not  issue  any  more  stores.  When  the 
men  whom  he  had  appointed  came  up,  I  took  them  into  the 
study,  and  spoke  very  kindly  to  them,  and  asked  them  to  watch 
over  the  poor  man  in  his  last  hours.  I  gave  them  pipes  and 
tobacco  and  kerosene  lamps,  and  some  other  things,  and  they 
promised  faithfully  that  they  would  remain  with  the  man  all 
night  Next  morning  they  told  me  that  he  was  dead,  and  I 
went  down  to  see  him.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  tell 
what  I  saw.  I  had  to  take  some  strong  carbolic  disinfectant 
with  me  before  any  one  would  enter  the  hut,  and  we  had  to  make 
a  special  basket  before  the  body  could  be  carried  away  for 
burial. 

There  is  one  little  serio-comic  incident  which  I  must  relate 
here.  Whilst  the  men  were  still  with  us,  living  in  this  state  of 
destitution  and  sickness,  the  captain  in  charge  received  instruc- 


362  GEORGE    BROWN 

tions  from  France,  which  were  opened  and  read  on  our  verandah. 
These  letters  contained,  amongst  other  things,  elaborate  direc- 
tions as  to  how  he  was  to  lay  out  the  future  city  of  this  colony. 
He  was  told  to  set  aside  a  portion  for  the  "  noblesse,"  another 
portion  for  the  "  bourgeois,"  and  another  for  the  "  ouvriers."  He 
was  also  directed  to  select  a  suitable  site  for  barracks  for  the 
"  gendarmes  ",  and  definite  instructions  were  given  as  to  the  size 
and  locality  of  site  on  which  the  cathedral  was  to  be  erected. 
These  instructions  were  read  to  us,  with  the  lands  which  were 
to  be  so  used  still  covered  with  wild  jungle  just  in  front  of  us, 
and  whilst  the  men  we  had  rescued  in  such  a  sad  state  of  destitu- 
tion and  misery  were  still  on  the  premises.  I  contented  myself 
with'  asking  the  captain  to  reserve  for  me  a  corner  lot  in  the 
"  noblesse  "  quarter ;  and  this  he  promised  to  do. 

H.M.S.  Conflict  arrived  at  Duke  of  York  on  May  22,  1880. 
She  had  called  at  the  settlement  on  New  Ireland  on  her  way, 
and  Captain  McLaughlin,  the  officer  in  charge  there,  came  on 
in  her  as  passenger  to  Port  Hunter.  Captain  Bower  came  on 
shore  immediately  on  his  arrival,  and  interviewed  the  immigrants 
who  were  with  us,  Captain  McLaughlin  being  also  present. 
The  men  stated  that  they  wished  to  be  taken  to  Sydney,  or 
to  be  employed  by  one  of  the  traders.  In  the  event  of 
neither  of  these  schemes  being  practicable,  then  their  desire  was 
to  remain  where  they  were ;  but  they  refused  to  go  back  to  the 
colony.  It  was  represented  to  them  that  they  could  not  stay  at 
Port  Hunter  to  depend  upon  us  for  supplies,  now  that  provisions, 
etc.,  were  at  Likiliki,  having,  I  presumed,  been  brought  there  by 
the  schooner  Emilie  ;  and  that  they  must  either  go  there  or 
be  prepared  to  shift  for  themselves.  Next  day  at  sunrise 
Captain  Bower  went  to  New  Britain  in  our  steam  launch,  to 
consult  with  Mr.  Hernsheim,  the  German  Consul  in  that  group. 
On  our  return  to  Duke  of  York  the  men  were  again  mustered  ; 
those  of  them  who  had  got  employment  were  left  behind  ;  the 
others  were  taken  on  board  the  Pacific  by  Captain  Hernsheim 
and  landed  again  at  Likiliki.  The  houses  were  fired,  and  so 
ended  that  part  of  this  episode  in  our  mission  life  here. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         363 

We  heard  that  the  Emilie  had  called  on  her  way  to  New 
Ireland  at  the  Laughlin  Islands,  where  the  first  party  were  left, 
and  found  that  out  of  seventeen  men  left  there  by  the  Chan- 
danagore,  seven  had  died  ;  so  that  they  also  had  great 
troubles. 

On  July  1 8  I  left  Port  Hunter  in  the  S.S.  Ripple,  Captain 
Ferguson  having  kindly  offered  to  tow  my  whale-boat  as  far  as 
the  settlement  at  Metlik  (Likiliki),  on  his  way  to  the  Solomons  ; 
and  by  this  means  I  was  able  again  to  visit  the  colonists,  and 
also  our  mission  stations  on  New  Ireland,  with  comparative 
ease.  We  arrived  at  Metlik  on  the  ipth,  and  found  the  colonists 
in  great  distress,  and  very  anxious  to  be  removed.  Captain 
McLaughlin  and  Captain  Ferguson  made  some  arrangements 
for  their  removal  ;  and  as  Captain  McLaughlin  and  I  said  good- 
bye to  our  old  friend  Ferguson  as  the  Ripple  steamed  out,  I 
received  again  his  assurance  to  tell  the  poor  fellows  on  shore 
that  in  three  weeks'  time  he  would  be  back  again,  and  would 
take  them  all  to  Sydney.  It  was,  as  I  shall  narrate  a  little 
further  on,  in  hastening  back  to  fulfil  this  promise  that  he  was 
killed. 

The  colonists,  I  found,  had  erected  a  large  block  house  and 
several  other  buildings,  but  little  or  nothing  had  been  done  in 
the  way  of  cultivation  or  of  making  provision  for  the  supply  of 
their  wants.  There  were  abundant  evidences  in  the  settlement 
of  the  great  preparations  which  had  been  made  in  France  for 
the  success  of  the  expedition.  A  large  steam  boiler  and  fireplace 
were  on  the  beach,  together  with  a  great  quantity  of  bricks, 
which  were  intended,  I  believe,  to  be  used  in  the  foundations  of 
the  cathedral  which  they  purposed  building.  They  had  also  the 
machinery  for  sugar  refining,  a  steam  crane,  incubators,  a  saw- 
mill, and  agricultural  implements  ;  but  it  was  evident  that  there 
had  been  great  carelessness  either  in  shipping  the  material  or  in 
landing  it,  as  they  had  cases  of  knife  handles  without  any  blades, 
and  a  number  of  wheelbarrows,  but  no  wheels.  They  had 
scarcely  any  axes,  and  the  few  spades  with  which  they  were 
supplied  appeared  to  be  of  the  worst  possible  material.  They 


364  GEORGE    BROWN 

had  no  quinine  and  few  other  medicines.  I  have  read  in  the 
accounts  of  the  subsequent  trial  in  France  statements  which  were 
certainly  not  correct  with  regard  to  the  island.  It  was  described 
as  "an  abomination  of  desolation — that  there  was  nothing  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  merest  rock  rising  out  of  the  ocean  ;  that 
there  was  absolutely  no  soil  to  cultivate,  the  little  there  was  of 
any  depth  being  at  the  bottom  of  deep  ravines  and  fissures  in  the 
rocks,  whence  most  of  the  vegetation  springs  ;  that  the  few  head 
of  cattle  which  they  were  able  to  bring  with  them  could  find 
no  pasturage,  and  had  to  be  fed  while  they  lived  with  branches 
cut  from  the  trees  ;  that  the  barrenness  of  the  soil  was  alone 
sufficient  to  take  all  heart  out  of  the  colonists,  seeing  that 
starvation  stared  them  in  the  face ;  and  that  malaria  came  as  a 
deliverance  to  many  by  putting  them  out  of  their  misery."  This 
is  all  fanciful,  as  a  short  visit  to  any  part  of  New  Ireland  will 
easily  prove.  The  land,  instead  of  being  a  mere  rock,  is  covered 
with  splendid  forest  trees,  and  the  soil  will  grow  yams,  taro, 
bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  and  any  tropical  fruits  which  may  be 
planted  in  it.  The  fact  is  that  the  people  were  disheartened 
from  the  very  commencement,  and  even  before  the  Chandanagore 
left,  Captain  McLaughlin,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  the  captain 
of  that  vessel  said  :  "  I  have  an  ugly  time  of  it ;  more  than  one 
half  of  my  men  are  laid  up  with  sore  feet,  and  the  other  half 
with  laziness."  It  is  only  fair,  however,  to  say  that  the  latter 
part  of  this  description  did  not  apply,  so  far  as  my  experience 
went,  to  some  of  the  men,  as  I  found  them  quite  willing  to  do 
anything  that  they  could.  Perhaps  it  will  be  well  here  to  give  a 
rtsume  of  the  history  of  this  unfortunate  expedition. 

It  was  organised  mainly  by  the  energy  and  enterprise 
evinced  by  the  Marquis  de  Rays,  who,  at  his  own  expense,  fitted 
out  and  equipped  the  barque  Chandanagore.  She  was  purchased 
for  the  expedition  in  Havre,  and  it  was  intended  that  the 
immigrants,  who  were  of  mixed  nationalities,  should  embark  at 
that  place  for  their  destination.  The  French  Government, 
however,  refused  to  countenance  the  movement,  and  the 
vessel  cleared  out  of  Havre  for  Port  Breton  via  Antwerp.  The 


MIA,    A    CHIEF    OF    RUVIANA. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         365 

Belgian  Government,  however,  also  declined  to  allow  the 
emigrants  to  embark  at  Antwerp,  and  the  vessel  was  then 
taken  to  Vlissingen,  a  seaport  about  forty  miles  below  Antwerp. 
She  finally  sailed  from  there  on  September  14,  with  a  party 
of  eighty-two  men,  who  were  under  the  charge  of  Captain 
McLaughlin,  an  American.  This  number  consisted  of  forty 
Germans,  twenty-five  Frenchmen,  six  Belgians,  eleven  Swiss, 
and  other  nationalities.  M.  de  la  Croix,  the  representative  of 
the  Marquis,  was  in  charge,  and  they,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
landed  at  New  Ireland  on  January  16,  1880.  I  first  saw  them 
after  the  Chandanagore  had  left  for  Sydney,  and  I  then  stated 
that,  in  my  opinion,  those  who  were  in  charge  of  that  vessel 
incurred  a  very  serious  responsibility  in  going  away  as  they  did, 
and  leaving  the  poor  men  almost  without  tools,  and  without  a 
single  ounce  of  quinine  or  any  other  medicine.  The  excuse 
made  was  that  the  anchor  had  "  carried  away  "  ;  but  even  if  this 
were  so,  they  could  still  have  communicated  with  the  shore,  and 
have  landed  some  of  the  most  necessary  stores.  After  the  men 
came  on  our  station  nearly  a  month  passed  without  a  death, 
but  afterwards  several  of  our  patients  succumbed  to  the  diseases 
which  affected  them.  In  nearly  every  case  the  ulcers  were 
getting  well,  and  the  fever  was  controlled,  but  the  dysentery 
so  weakened  the  system  that  they  could  not  rally.  Nearly 
every  man  had  fever,  and  our  large  stock  of  quinine  was 
nearly  all  used.  Seven  men  died  at  our  station  at  Port 
Hunter. 

I  wrote  at  the  time  as  follows :  "  Marquis  de  Rays,  and 
those  who  have  carried  out  this  mad  scheme,  have  incurred 
a  very  heavy  responsibility  indeed.  They  have  begun  the 
venture  without  having  any  proper  conception  of  the  nature 
of  the  work,  or  of  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered.  No  good 
judgment  whatever  has  been  exercised  as  to  the  suitability 
of  the  place,  which  seems  to  have  been  selected  in  some 
drawing-room  in  France,  whilst  looking  over  an  old  book  of 
Bougainville's  travels.  The  people  brought  out  are,  as  regards 
the  greater  portion  of  them,  most  unsuitable  men  for  colonists, 


366  GEORGE    BROWN 

and  no  proper  care  was  taken  to  have  them  supplied  with  tools 
or  medicine,  from  the  want  of  which  they  have  suffered  so 
much. 

"  As  to  the  colony,  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  they  never 
will  succeed  in  establishing  one  such  as  Marquis  de  Rays 
desires  in  the  place  they  have  selected  here  ;  and  unless  better 
judgment  is  exercised  in  the  selection  of  the  colonists  they  will 
never  succeed  anywhere.  The  men  are  from  all  countries 
and  have  no  common  bond  of  union,  and  from  the  beginning 
they  seem  to  have  had  little  or  no  interest  in  the  affair.  They 
have  been  good  and  well-behaved  here,  and  have  always  shown 
us  the  greatest  respect ;  but  there  is  no  esprit  de  corps  amongst 
themselves,  and  it  has  been  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that 
we  have  succeeded  in  getting  the  most  necessary  attention 
paid  to  the  sick  and  dying  ones  amongst  them." 

On  Friday,  August  27,  we  were  startled  by  the  sound  of 
a  steamer's  whistle  in  the  channel,  but  we  could  not  make 
out  the  flag  under  which  she  was  sailing.  However,  I  got 
my  boat  afloat  as  soon  as  possible  and  went  out  to  her,  when 
we  found  that  it  was  the  Genii,  Captain  Rabardy,  and  that  the 
flag  was  that  of  Liberia  ;  so  there  was  some  excuse  for  our 
ignorance  with  regard  to  the  nationality  of  the  vessel.  As 
soon  as  I  began  to  mention  the  difficulties  under  which  the 
colonists  at  Metlik  were  placed,  Captain  Rabardy  stopped  me, 
and  led  me  to  his  cabin,  as  he  evidently  did  not  wish  any 
of  the  people  on  board  to  hear  the  communication  which  I 
had  to  make.  After  I  had  told  him  he  accompanied  us  on 
shore,  leaving  the  steamer  in  the  channel.  We  had  a  long 
talk  about  the  state  of  the  people,  and  he  was  very  much 
distressed  indeed  at  the  account  which  I  gave  him  of  their 
sufferings  and  of  the  deaths  which  had  taken  place.  He 
told  me  that  another  large  vessel  was  following  him  almost 
immediately,  and  that  she  would  bring  several  ladies,  together 
with  horses,  carriages,  dogs  for  hunting,  etc.,  etc.  On  our  way 
down  to  the  boat  I  took  him  to  the  place  where  we  had  buried 


THIRD   TERM    OF   RESIDENCE        367 

the  men  who  died  whilst  they  were  with  us  in  Port  Hunter.  I 
do  not  think  I  ever  saw  such  a  sudden  change  come  over  any 
man  as  I  saw  in  Captain  Rabardy,  when  I  pointed  out  the 
spot  where  some  of  the  unfortunate  members  of  the  expedition 
were  buried.  He  had  been  talking  quite  cheerfully  and  in  an 
excited  way  about  the  prospects  of  the  colony  ;  but  as  soon 
as  he  heard  what  I  was  saying  he  stopped,  and  uncovered 
his  head,  and  after  a  short  interval  of  silence  threw  his  arms 
around  me,  and  saluted  me  on  both  cheeks,  whilst  he  thanked 
me  for  the  kindness  which  we  had  been  privileged  to  show  to 
his  distressed  comrades.  We  heard  some  time  after  he  left 
us  that  the  Victor  sailed  on  September  I  for  Sydney  with  the 
survivors  of  the  first  party. 

During  the  remainder  of  my  stay  in  the  group  we  had 
several  opportunities  of  seeing  members  of  the  expedition  when 
they  came  to  Duke  of  York  Island,  but  I  did  not  visit  them 
again  until  November,  after  the  arrival  of  the  India.  The 
settlement  had  in  the  meantime  been  removed  to  the  west 
coast,  and  located  in  what  are  known  as  English  and  Irish 
Coves.  I  left  on  November  n,  and  reached  Lamasa  to  break- 
fast after  a  very  fine  passage,  and  got  to  Irish  Cove  at  I  p.m., 
where  I  was  very  courteously  received  by  Commander  Le 
Prevost  and  all  on  board  the  India.  I  found  her  to  be  a 
large  steamer,  and  very  snugly  anchored  in  Irish  Cove.  I  spent 
some  time  on  board,  but  after  dinner  went  on  board  the  Genii, 
Captain  Rabardy,  and  slept  there.  Next  day  I  walked  about  the 
settlement,  and  took  a  number  of  photographs.  The  number 
of  immigrants  was  much  larger  than  on  my  previous  visit, 
many  of  them  being  Italians.  Several  small  plantations 
had  been  already  begun,  and  good  progress  had  been 
made  during  the  month  they  had  been  located  at  this  place. 
A  large  block  house  was  in  course  of  erection.  There  was 
an  abundance  of  fine  water,  both  river  and  spring  ;  but  the 
impression  made  on  my  mind  was  that,  whilst  the  place  might 
do  very  well  indeed  as  a  dep6t,  it  was  no  fit  place  for  a  large 
colony.  There  were  numbers  of  women  and  children  amongst 


368  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  later  immigrants,  and  they  were  certainly  doing  their  full 
share  of  the  hard  work  necessary  in  clearing  the  dense  scrub 
around  them.  I  left  for  Port  Hunter  again  in  the  evening. 
I  have  no  further  details  of  my  own  to  give  in  connection 
with  this  expedition,  but  its  subsequent  history  may  be  briefly 
mentioned. 

The  next  vessel  to  arrive  at  the  colony  after  the  Genii  and 
the  India  was  the  La  Nouvelle  Bretagne^  which  vessel  left  in 
the  spring  of  1881  with  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  immigrants 
on  board.  On  reaching  Pointe  de  Galle,  Captain  Henri  received 
a  telegram  from  the  Marquis  stating  that  enemies  and  traitors 
by  whom  he  was  surrounded  had  placed  him  in  an  embarrassing 
position  with  regard  to  the  enterprise,  but  he  hoped  he  would 
obtain  the  upper  hand  of  them.  At  Singapore  the  captain 
found  another  telegram  awaiting  him,  nominating  him  pro- 
visionary  governor  of  Port  Bretagne,  and  instructing  him  to 
divest  Captain  Rabardy  of  the  command  of  the  Genii  in  favour 
of  one  Coll,  a  Spanish  subject.  Henri's  suspicions  concerning 
the  business  in  which  he  was  employed  were  fairly  aroused, 
and  instead  of  carrying  out  his  orders,  he  took  counsel  with 
Rabardy  on  his  arrival  at  Port  Bretagne  as  to  what  they 
had  better  do.  Rabardy  satisfied  Henri  that  he  could  not 
be  dismissed,  inasmuch  as  neither  he  nor  his  crew  had  received 
any  payment  for  their  services,  nor  had  the  vessel  been 
purchased.  The  Marquis  had  undertaken  to  send  out  provisions 
and  money,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  had  been  despatched. 
Captain  Henri  had  no  alternative  but  to  aggravate  the  situation 
by  landing  his  fresh  batch  of  emigrants.  But,  filled  with  pity 
at  the  condition  of  these  unfortunate  people,  and  after  taking 
counsel  with  Captain  Rabardy,  he  decided  to  steam  to  Manila 
to  obtain  succour.  His  coal  being  exhausted,  trees  had  to  be 
cut  down  to  supply  fuel  for  the  fires.  He  left  the  island  on 
September  16.  At  Manila  fresh  perplexity  awaited  him.  An 
embargo  was  laid  upon  the  steamer  by  one  of  the  Marquis's 
creditors.  The  vessel  was  seized  by  the  authorities  in  Manila, 
and  the  firemen  taken  out  of  her,  as  well  as  an  important  piece 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        369 

of  her  machinery.     A  few  days  after  this  there  were  signs  of  a 
typhoon  coming  on,  so  the  authorities   replaced   the   piece  of 
machinery,  and  put  six  officers  in  charge  of  the  vessel.     Henri 
telegraphed  to  the  Marquis,  and  received  a  reply  ordering  him  to 
sell  the  vessel  and  satisfy  the  claim.    Henri,  however,  whose  kind 
and  manly  conduct  did  much  to  relieve  the  gloom  of  this  sad 
history,  thought  of  the  starving  wretches  at  Port  Breton  ;  and, 
having  put  provisions  on  board  before  the  embargo  was  declared, 
he  took  advantage  of  the  storm,  slipped  his  anchor  and  steamed 
away,  landing  the  six  officers  forty  miles  off,  and  made  the  best 
of  his  way  to  New    Ireland.     He   reached   his   destination  on 
January  I,  1881,  but  was  closely  followed  by  another  steamer, 
the  La  Gaspe,  manned   by   a   Spanish   man-of-war   crew,    on 
January    12.     This   vessel   had   been   sent   in   pursuit    of    the 
runaway  La  Nouvelle  Bretagne.     It  arrived  too  late,  however,  to 
stop  the  provisions  being  landed.     The  inhabitants  had  by  that 
time  been  reduced  to   a   still   more   deplorable  condition,  for 
it  was  three  months  since  Captain  Henri  left  to  obtain  relief. 
He  submitted  himself  a  prisoner  to  the  Spaniards,  but  before 
starting   again   for   Manila,   on    January   20,    in    tow    of    the 
La  Gaspe,  he  took  on  board  a  large  number  of  the  surviving 
colonists.     He  was  tried  at  Manila  on  the  charge  of  violating 
the  embargo,  and  also  of  having  carried  away  some  carbineers 
who   had  been    placed   "  in   possession "   of  the   vessel.     It   is 
certain   that   Captain    Henri   had   no  motive    for  stealing  the 
carbineers  ;  he  even  took  the  first  opportunity  that  presented 
itself  for  putting  them  ashore ;  but  his  conduct  in  taking  these 
representatives  of  authority  away  with  him  when   he  slipped 
anchor  appeared  most  outrageous  to  the  officials,  and,  although 
he  was  acquitted  on  the   first   count   in    consideration    of  his 
philanthropic  motive,  in  defiance  of  all  logical  sequence  he  was 
convicted  on  others,  and  sent  to  prison. 

On  February  13  all  the  colonists  arrived  at  Meoko  (Port 
Wesley)  in  the  S.S.  Genii  and  the  Marquis  de  Rays,  en  route  for 
Sydney.  I  was  not  then  in  the  group,  but  Rev.  B.  Banks, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  Mission,  attended  a  meeting  of 

24 


370  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  colonists  at  Meoko,  at  the  request  of  Captain  Rabardy, 
but  nothing  definite  was  done.  On  February  14  Captain 
Rabardy  was  unwell,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  fifteenth  he  died 
very  suddenly.  Soon  after  this  event  the  Genii  sailed  for 
Sydney  with  the  survivors  of  this  ill-fated  colony.  They 
reached  Noumea  in  a  starving  condition,  and  were  brought 
to  Sydney  at  the  expense  of  the  Government  of  New  Caledonia, 
by  the  A.S.  Co.'s  steamer  James  Patteson,  which  arrived  in 
Sydney  on  Friday,  April  7,  1881.  A  number  of  the  immigrants 
obtained  engagements  in  New  South  Wales  at  a  fair  rate  of 
wages.  At  a  subsequent  date,  grants  of  land  were  made  to 
many  of  them,  and  they  founded  the  settlement  of  New  Italy, 
between  the  Clarence  and  Richmond  rivers,  where  they  and 
their  descendants  now  live. 

One  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had  amongst  the  South  Sea 
.  Island  traders — and  I  knew  most  of  them  in  the  early  days — 
was  Captain  Alexander  McKenzie  Ferguson.  I  first  met  him  in 
Sydney  in  1875,  as  we  were  preparing  to  sail  on  our  first 
voyage  to  New  Britain.  He  was  at  that  time  almost  the  only 
man  in  Sydney  who  could  give  us  any  trustworthy  information 
about  the  New  Britain  Group,  which  we  intended  to  visit,  as  he 
had  called  there  on  some  of  his  trading  voyages.  When  I  told 
him  of  our  intention,  and  that  I  purposed  settling  first  on  Duke 
of  York  Island,  he  told  me  that  it  was  in  his  opinion  the  very 
best  place  we  could  have  selected  in  the  group,  and  that  he 
would  very  gladly  do  all  that  was  in  his  power  to  help  us. 
I  found  him  to  be  a  very  intelligent  man,  and  he  was  certainly 
very  patient  with  me  in  the  numerous  inquiries  which  I  made. 
He  made  no  secret  of  his  opinion  that  we  should  have  many 
'  difficulties  to  encounter  in  our  first  intercourse  with  the  people 
on  the  mainland,  but  he  thought  that  with  ordinary  care  and 
prudence  we  might  live  on  Duke  of  York  for  awhile  with 
comparative  safety.  He  had  a  lad  from  that  island  on  board 
the  vessel,  and  he  very  kindly  offered  him  to  us,  as  he  might 
probably  be  useful  to  us  on  our  arrival.  The  lad  was  called  Teem, 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         371 

and  we  took  him  with  us  on  our  voyage.  He  gave  me  many 
words  on  our  way  down,  and  would  probably  have  been  useful 
to  us  in  the  group,  but  unfortunately  he  was  murdered  about 
three  weeks  after  our  arrival.  Captain  Ferguson  advised  me  as 
to  the  best  kind  of  trade  to  take  with  us,  and  informed  me 
that  he  would  give  instruction  to  all  in  his  employ  to  help 
us  in  every  possible  way,  should  they  visit  the  island  in  which 
we  hoped  to  locate. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  friendship  which  continued  to 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1880.  He  was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  and 
was  first  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits,  but  soon  left  to  seek 
his  fortune  in  Queensland.  He  then  went  to  Sydney,  and  found 
clerical  occupation  with  Messrs.  O'Dowd  &  Co.,  commission 
agents.  In  1872  he  went  several  voyages  to  the  Solomons, 
and  on  the  last  voyage  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  death,  as 
the  Marian  Rennie,  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  engaged,  was 
captured  by  the  natives  of  Rendova,  in  the  Ruviana  Group,  and 
Captain  Delany  and  all  hands  were  murdered.  This  tragedy 
was  enacted  only  a  few  miles  away  from  the  place  where  our 
mission  to  the  Solomons  was  commenced  by  me  in  1902. 
Mr.  Ferguson  escaped  the  fate  of  all  his  brother  shipmates  by 
having  been  landed  at  Makira  Harbour,  St.  Christoval,  to  trade 
with  the  natives,  whilst  the  vessel  went  farther  west.  He  was 
rescued  from  that  place  some  two  months  afterwards,  and 
brought  to  Sydney.  He  then  went  to  the  gold  diggings,  and 
was  afterwards  employed  as  third  officer  and  clerk  on  board  the 
S.S.  Havilah,  then  running  to  Queensland.  After  this  he 
returned  to  Messrs.  O'Dowd  &  Co.,  but  the  spell  of  the  Islands 
was  upon  him,  and  when  an  emergency  arose,  and  a  new  master 
was  needed  for  the  schooner  Captain  Cook,  which  was  then 
employed  by  the  firm,  he  applied  for  the  position.  This  was 
promised  to  him  if  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  master's 
certificate.  After  successfully  passing  his  examination  this  was 
granted,  and  he  took  charge  of  the  vessel  and  speedily  justified 
the  confidence  of  his  employers  in  his  trustworthiness  and 
ability.  Whilst  engaged  in  the  Island  trade  he  rescued  the 


372  GEORGE    BROWN 

crew  of  the  ship  Delhi,  which  had  been  lost  on  the  Indispensable 
Reef,  and  brought  them  to  Brisbane,  for  which  action  he  was 
highly  commended  by  the  authorities.  He  also  rescued  the 
shipwrecked  crew  of  the  Latonia  from  the  natives  of  Hada  Bay, 
and  forwarded  them  to  Brisbane  ;  and  he  also  succoured  the 
crews  of  the  wrecked  vessels  Meteor  and  Trevelyan  Family.  He 
had  indeed  a  remarkable  experience  in  being  thus  privileged  to 
help  so  many  people  in  their  troubles.  He  always  possessed  the 
full  confidence  of  the  naval  authorities  on  the  Australian 
Station,  and  he  gave  the  late  Commodores  Goodenough  and 
Wilson  and  others  much  valuable  information  and  assistance. 
He  was  very  popular  with  the  natives,  though  no  man  was  more 
firm  with  them  when  such  action  was  deemed  necessary.  The 
leading  chiefs  in  the  Eastern  and  Western  Solomons  and 
Duke  of  York  Island  regarded  him  as  their  friend,  and  had 
implicit  confidence  in  him,  because  he  never  broke  faith  with 
them,  or  attempted  to  deceive  them.  Natives  are  good  judges 
of  character,  and  "  Aleck,"  as  they  called  him,  was  always 
trusted  by  them.  I  have  already  told  the  story  of  his  great 
kindness  to  me  when  I  was  returning  to  my  desolate  home 
in  March.  We  saw  him  again  in  Duke  of  York  in  July  of  the 
same  year,  1 880.  I  have  often  thought  that  he  had  some  fear  or 
presentiment  of  coming  troubles  with  the  natives.  He  was  very 
anxious,  as  I  have  already  stated,  lest  something  should  happen 
to  me  when  I  used  to  go  on  shore  at  Marau  Sound.  The  last 
time  he  was  at  Lua  Niua  (Orrtong,  Java)  he  would  not  go 
on  shore,  and  always  predicted  that  more  massacres  would  soon 
follow  those  which  had  already  taken  place  in  the  Solomons, 
from  the  fact  that  no  punishment  had  been  inflicted.  Just 
before  he  left  us  he  said  to  me :  "  Oh,  by-the-byc,  I  have  not 
given  you  a  receipt  for  those  stores  which  I  have  had  from  you." 
"  Oh,  never  mind,"  I  replied, "  you  will  be  here  again  in  a  month, 
and  then  we  can  settle  the  account."  To  this  he  replied  :  "  No, 
it  is  best  to  give  a  receipt.  Who  knows?  I  may  be  killed, 
the  ship  may  be  lost,  or  something  may  happen  "  :  and  he  gave 
me  the  receipt. 


Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry. 

GUMI,    A    CHIEF    OF    RUVIANA. 


STONE    WHARF    AT    RUVIANA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE         373 

As  I  have  already  stated,  I  went  with  him  on  his  last 
voyage  as  far  as  Metlik,  to  visit  again  the  French  colonists, 
and  just  as  we  were  leaving  he  brought  a  beautiful  pair  of 
orange  cowries  as  a  present  to  my  wife,  which  we  still  treasure 
up  in  the  little  box  in  which  he  presented  them.  I  parted 
with  him  at  Metlik,  when  he  started  for  the  Solomons,  and 
I  began  to  work  my  way  back  to  Port  Hunter  in  our  whale- 
boat.  On  Thursday,  August  12,  we  sighted  the  Ripple  off 
Port  Hunter  about  noon,  and  were  at  once  in  joyous  expectation 
of  seeing  again  our  old  friend,  and  of  receiving  our  letters 
from  home.  As  the  vessel  steamed  into  port  we  saw  the  flag 
at  half-mast,  but  concluded  that  she  was  probably  bringing  up 
some  of  the  colonists  who  had  died,  as  we  had  left  one  or 
two  of  them  very  unwell.  I  sent  a  note  down  on  board,  but 
Waruwarum,  who  took  the  letter,  soon  came  running  back, 
crying  bitterly:  "Oh!  Mr.  Brown,  Aleck!  Aleck!"  He 
would  say  no  more,  but  just  sat  down  and  cried.  I  received 
from  the  mate  some  extracts  from  the  ship's  log,  and  a  note 
asking  me  to  go  on  board  at  once.  I  shall  never  forget  my 
experience  that  day.  When  I  stepped  on  board  the  mate 
and  men  were  so  overpowered  by  their  feelings  that  they 
could  not  speak  to  me,  but  just  took  my  hand,  led  me  into 
the  cabin,  pointed  to  the  blood-stained  sides  and  roof,  to  the 
cuts  made  by  the  tomahawks,  and  then  all  wept  together. 

By  degrees  we  heard  the  story.  The  Ripple  had  called 
at  a  place  called  Numanuma,  near  Cape  de  Gras,  on  the 
east  side  of  Bougainville  Island,  on  her  way  up  to  Duke  of 
York.  Captain  Ferguson  had  never  been  in  that  place  before. 
On  August  8  they  bought  several  bags  'of  beche-de-mer  and 
snail  shells,  and  found  the  natives  quite  friendly  and  apparently 
quiet.  On  the  9th  they  commenced  trading  again  early  in 
the  morning.  At  8.30  a.m.  a  large  fleet  of  canoes  came  off 
with  beche-de-mer  and  shells,  and  the  mate  computed  that 
altogether  there  were  about  three  hundred  natives  in  and 
around  the  ship.  At  about  8.45  a.m.  the  attack  commenced. 
It  was  supposed  that  Captain  Ferguson  was  in  the  cabin 


374  GEORGE    BROWN 

looking  out  on  the  deck,  when  he  was  struck  down  by  a  blow 
across  the  side  of  the  head.  The  man  who  struck  him  must 
have  been  hiding  by  the  side  of  the  door,  as  the  blow  was 
a  left-handed  one,  and  the  tomahawk  in  descending  cut  a  deep 
mark  on  the  upper  side  of  the  doorway.  The  steward  was 
down  the  after  hold,  engaged  in  handing  up  some  stores  by 
the  captain's  orders.  He  heard  the  captain  call  out,  "  I'm 
killed  "  ;  and  immediately  received  himself  a  dreadful  wound 
in  the  neck  from  a  tomahawk.  He  fell,  but  recovered,  and 
with  his  revolver  shot  the  two  men  who  were  standing  over 
the  hatchway,  one  of  whom  it  was  pretty  certain  was  the  man 
who  struck  down  the  captain.  The  mate,  who  was  on  the 
main  hatch,  was  struck  by  a  tomahawk,  fell,  and  received  several 
severe  cuts  when  down ;  but  his  assailant  was  engaged  by 
one  of  the  native  crew,  and  he  soon  recovered  consciousness 
and  helped  in  the  fight.  The  engineer,  Bernard  Watt 
("  Barney "),  first  felt  the  blood  and  brains  of  a  poor  native 
lad  who  was  at  the  wheel  spattered  in  his  face,  and  then  fired 
the  first  shot.  He  was  protected  by  the  boat,  and  so  was 
able  to  fire  until  his  ammunition  was  out.  He  then  went  to 
the  cabin  for  more,  and  there  found  Captain  Ferguson  quite 
dead  on  the  floor,  and  a  native  woman,  who  was  a  passenger, 
also  dead.  The  natives  fought  hard,  and  when  driven  off 
the  ship's  deck  still  kept  up  the  fight  from  their  canoes, 
discharging  arrows  from  a  comparatively  short  distance.  This 
fight,  however,  was  too  unequal  to  last  long,  and  as  the  bullets 
from  the  rifles  began  to  tell  they  gave  up  the  attack,  and 
pulled  away  for  the  shore.  It  was  then  found  that  four  were 
killed,  viz.  Captain  Ferguson,  a  native  woman,  and  two  others, 
one  of  whom  was  taken  away  by  the  natives.  The  mate, 
Mr.  Davies,  the  engineer,  Mr.  Pensee  a  passenger,  and  five 
jc>f  the  crew  were  wounded,  some  of  them  very  severely.  Steam 
was  got  up,  and  at  10.30  a.m.  the  vessel  was  steered  through 
the  passage  and  stood  away  for  Duke  of  York.  All  did  their 
best  to  save  their  lives  and  the  ship.  The  steward  (a  Japanese) 
Y/as  praised  by  all  for  his  bravery.  Though  wounded  in  the 


THIRD    TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         375 

most  dreadful  manner  in  several  places,  he  fought  until  the 
ship  was  clear  and  the  natives  driven  away,  when  he  fainted 
from  loss  of  blood,  and  afterwards  won  the  respect  and  love 
of  us  all  by  his  care  of  the  poor  fellows  who  were  fellow- 
sufferers  with  him. 

It  was  a  sad  sight  for  me  when  I  went  on  board  the  vessel 
commanded  by  my  old  friend,  whom  I  had  left  a  little  more 
than  a  fortnight  before,  to  see  the  blood-stains  on  floor  and 
wall,  to  hear  the  story  of  the  fight,  to  behold  the  poor  men 
all  gashed  and  wounded  by  the  tomahawks,  and  to  look  in 
vain  for  the  good,  kind,  and  honest  face  of  my  old  friend. 
Everything  about  spoke  of  the  interest  he  had  taken  in  us, 
and  of  his  expectation  of  soon  seeing  us  again.  I  found  our 
parcels  from  the  colonies  all  laid  out  in  the  cabin,  together 
with  a  tin  of  biscuits  which  he  was  bringing  up  for  my  wife. 
On  opening  the  desk  I  found  our  letters  all  placed  ready  to  be 
handed  out  as  soon  as  I  got  on  board,  and  some  files  of  Punch 
and  the  late  papers  from  Sydney  all  arranged  in  readiness 
to  be  given  to  me  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  port.  I  examined 
the  spot  where  his  body  was  found,  and  discovered  something 
which  had  not  been  previously  noticed,  namely,  that  he  must 
have  fallen  alongside  a  large  camphor-wood  chest,  and  retained 
just  enough  consciousness  to  fire  the  revolver  which  the  steward 
told  us  he  had  placed  there.  I  saw  the  mark  of  the  bullet 
in  the  sideboard,  through  which  it  had  passed  and  then  entered 
the  compass  box,  where  I  found  it.  The  direction  showed 
that  the  weapon  must  have  been  fired  whilst  he  was  lying  on 
the  floor.  The  mate,  Mr.  Davies,  was  struck  with  a  tomahawk 
across  the  shoulders  and  fell  down,  but  fortunately  recovered  in 
time  to  save  himself.  The  engineer,  "  Barney,"  was  shot 
through  the  cheek  with  an  arrow,  but  succeeded  in  extracting 
it  and  fought  very  bravely  indeed.  I  saw  many  traces  of  the 
severe  struggle  which  they  had  passed  through.  I  picked  up 
several  broken  and  blood-stained  arrows,  and  found  many 
others  had  lodged  in  the  sails  and  \ other  parts  of  the  vessel. 
It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  tremendous  force  with  which 


376  GEORGE    BROWN 

these  wooden-headed  arrows  were  shot,  when  I  mention  that 
one,  which  had  been  fired  from  a  canoe  at  some  considerable 
distance  away  from  the  vessel,  had  come  with  such  force  as 
to  pass  through  both  sides  of  the  galley  funnel. 

As  soon  as  possible  we  got  the  wounded  men  on  shore, 
and  I  sent  away  my  boat  to  New  Britain  to  inform  Captain 
Stephens,  who  was  connected  with  Captain  Ferguson  in 
business,  of  the  sad  affair.  I  also  sent  a  note  to  Captain 
Izat  of  H.M.S.  Conflict,  and  he  at  once  came  on  board  with 
Captain  Hernsheim,  and  kindly  offered  all  the  help  he  could 
give.  There  was  unfortunately  no  medical  officer  on  board 
the  vessel,  so  that  the  duty  of  attending  to  the  wounded 
men  devolved  entirely  on  me.  They  were  dreadfully  mutilated, 
and  from  the  length  of  time  which  had  elapsed  the  work 
of  sewing  up  and  dressing  the  wide  and  gaping  wounds  was 
made  both  very  dreadful  and  unpleasant.  One  man  who 
had  received  no  fewer  than  eight  deep  gashes  lingered  until 
the  1 7th,  when  he  died.  The  white  man  Pensee  had  both 
arms  broken,  and  received  some  very  severe  wounds  on  the 
neck.  The  Japanese  steward  had,  in  addition  to  some  smaller 
wounds,  a  dreadful  gash  which  laid  open  the  whole  of  his 
neck  from  the  ear  to  the  collar-bone,  and  the  others  had 
also  received  fearful  cuts.  Mr.  Stephens  volunteered  to  help 
me  in  attending  to  the  wounded,  but  was  only  able  to  do 
so  for  a  very  short  time.  It  was  indeed  a  most  painful 
experience.  The  last  patient  that  I  attended  to  was  the 
Japanese  steward,  and  after  I  had  finished  the  very  painful 
operations  necessary  in  his  case  I  was  completely  exhausted. 
Captain  Izat  came  in,  and  was  standing  by  when  I  had 
finished,  and  we  were  both  very  much  affected  by  the  heroic 
conduct  of  the  steward.  I  have  already  told  how  dreadfully 
he  was  wounded ;  and  yet  as  soon  as  I  had  finished  sewing 
up  and  dressing  the  fearful  gashes  which  had  been  inflicted 
on  him,  he  sat  up  on  his  mat  and,  addressing  himself 
to  me  in  broken  English,  said :  "  Mr.  Brown,  you  get  some 
men  to  look  out  for  these  poor  fellows  in  the  night  time, 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         377 

and  I  will  look  out  and  cook  and  attend  upon  them  during 
the  day  time."  I  saw  my  friend,  Captain  Izat's  face  flush, 
and  his  eyes  fill,  and  I  am  sure  he  could  see  the  same 
effects  on  myself,  when  we  heard  this  poor  man  offering 
to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of  attending  upon  his  un- 
fortunate companions.  It  was  a  grand  example  of  self-sacrifice. 

The  excitement  amongst  the  natives  was  very  great  indeed, 
and  I  am  certain  that  no  one  mourned  more  sincerely  over 
Captain  Ferguson's  death  than  did  Torogud,  a  chief  living 
a  few  miles  away  from  the  mission  station.  I  never  saw 
a  native  express  such  deep  feeling.  On  entering  the  cabin 
he  burst  into  tears,  threw  himself  down  on  the  floor, 
knocked  his  head  on  the  sides  of  the  cabin,  and  fairly  howled 
in  his  sorrow  and  anger.  He  was  very  anxious  indeed  to 
know  how  far  the  place  where  his  friend  was  killed  was 
from  Port  Hunter,  and  begged  that  he  and  his  people  might 
be  taken  there  to  fight  them.  Next  day  he  destroyed  his 
own  plantation,  burnt  and  destroyed  all  the  clothing  and 
other  presents  which  had  been  given  him  by  Captain  Ferguson, 
blackened  his  face,  divided  his  money,  and  observed  other 
forms  of  mourning  according  to  native  custom  for  a  very 
near  relation.  All  the  natives  about  felt  that  they  had  lost 
a  good  friend  by  the  sad  calamity. 

With  the  exception  of  the  man  who  died  soon  after  he 
was  landed,  all  the  rest  recovered.  The  native  whose  life 
I  despaired  of  was  taken  back  to  his  own  island  ;  and,  much 
to  my  surprise,  I  heard  some  years  afterwards  that  he  had 
recovered,  though  never  again  able  to  use  the  leg  which  was  so 
seriously  injured.  He  was  young,  and  the  antiseptic  treat- 
ment which  was  given  him  enabled  nature  to  effect  the 
partial  cure. 

There  was  profound  sorrow  amongst  all  his  old  friends 
and  acquaintances  in  the  Solomons  Group  and  elsewhere 
when  the  news  of  Captain  Ferguson's  death  was  reported, 
and  with  this  there  was  also  a  strongly  expressed  desire 
that  some  monument  should  be  erected  to  his  memory.  This 


378  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  afterwards  carried  out,  and  a  monument,  with  a  suitable 
inscription,  was  erected  to  his  memory  in  Nusa  Songa,  in 
the  Solomons  Group. 

As  I  deemed  it  best  to  complete  the  account  of  the  last 
incidents,  1  have  not  given  in  their  chronological  order  some 
other  events  which  I  think  ought  to  be  recorded,  one  of  which 
is  the  appointment  of  the  first  local  preachers  in  New  Britain. 
At  our  meeting  on  April  13,  1880,  we  appointed  three  of 
our  converts  to  this  office,  and  I  never  proposed  any  one  for 
that  important  position  with  more  satisfaction  than  I  did 
those  three  men.  The  men  appointed  were  Peni  Lelei,  from 
Duke  of  York  Island,  who  had  been  our  steady  friend  ever 
since  we  began  the  Mission,  Ilaita  Togimamara  from  New 
Britain,  and  Petero  Topilike  from  New  Ireland.  Peni  was 
a  very  intelligent  young  man.  He  was  my  best  pundit,  and 
gave  me  great  help  in  the  work  of  translation.  He  was  a 
devoted  Christian,  a  good  preacher,  and  was  afterwards  teacher 
and  for  many  years  in  pastoral  charge  of  several  villages. 
Ilaita  (Elijah)  was  a  protege"  of  Peni  Raiwalui,  our  catechist 
in  Kininigunan.  He  was  one  of  the  first  chiefs  on  New 
Britain  to  welcome  us  in  1875,  and  was  always  very 
friendly  to  us.  He  was,  however,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Mission  one  of  the  party  who  entrapped  me  on  shore,  as 
I  have  narrated  elsewhere,  intending  to  take  my  life  in 
payment  for  that  of  one  of  their  own  people  who  had  been 
killed  by  a  trader.  I  never  knew  accurately  what  part  he 
took  in  that  affair,  except  that  he  was  the  man  who  asked 
me  if  I  was  not  afraid  to  land  amongst  them.  It  was  probably 
owing  to  his  influence  that  I  escaped  at  that  time.  Petero 
(Peter)  Topilike  was  a  native  of  Kalil,  New  Ireland,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  converts  who  were  baptized.  He  was  a 
good  man,  and  a  successful  teacher  and  preacher  to  the  end 
of  his  life. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  increase  the  number  of  local 
preachers   at   the   time,    but   we   thought   it   best   to   be  very 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        379 

careful,  and  only  to  appoint  when  we  were  sure  that  the 
men  were  not  only  good  and  true,  but  had  also  an  intelligent 
knowledge  and  experience  of  the  salvation  which  they  were 
to  proclaim  to  others. 

On    June   2    I    accompanied    Captain    Bower    in    H.M.S. 

Conflict  to  New  Britain.     We  had  heard  of  a  somewhat  serious 

quarrel   amongst   the   natives  in    that  district,   and    that  they 

were   preparing   to    fight   each   other.     I   therefore   thought   it 

advisable  to  enlist  the  kindly  services   of  Captain    Bower   as 

peacemaker,   as,    from    his   position,    and   the    presence    of    a 

ship   of  war,   he  would    probably  do   more  than  we  ourselves 

could  accomplish.     Next  day,  June  3,  we  sent  messages  away 

for  all  the  chiefs  of  the  contending  parties  to  come  together. 

This   they  did,  and  we   succeeded   in   inducing   them   to  give 

up  the  contemplated  war,  and  be  at  peace.     I   am  sure  that 

Captain    Bower    will    long    remember    the    scenes    which    he 

witnessed  that   day.     There  were,   of  course,  old  accounts  to 

settle    between   the   contending   parties   as   an   essential    to   a 

permanent   reconciliation,   and    this  was   done   in    the   regular 

native  fashion.     A  leading   man  from  one  of  the  contending 

parties  stood  up  and,  holding  a  coil  of  native  money,  shouted 

a  challenge  to  the  opposite  party  to  come  and  take  it.     The 

others  then  rushed  forward  with  spears  poised  and  tomahawks 

uplifted,  as  though  they  were  about  to  annihilate  the   daring 

challenger.     But  just   as   they  reached   striking  distance  they 

struck   the   ground    with    their    tomahawks,    and    drove    their 

spears    into    the    earth   at    the    foot    of    the    man    challenging 

them.     They  then  took  the  diwara,  and  with  yells  and  shouts 

rushed   back    to   their   own    party,    when    they   in    their    turn 

offered  native  money,  which  the  others  accepted  in  the  same 

way.     This  exchange  of  money  was  for  the  purpose  of  paying 

for  men  who  had  been   killed  or  injured  in  preceding  fights. 

The  ceremonies   for  the   day  concluded  with    a   general   rush 

together  of  the  contending   parties,   when   the   principal    men 

exchanged  spears  with  each  other.     Next  morning  there  was 

a   great   dance,  after   which   they  all    parted   as  good  friends. 


380  GEORGE    BROWN 

Both  Captain  Bower  and    I  were  very  well  pleased  with  the 
successful  result  of  our  mediation. 

After  the  Conflict  left  I  went  on  to  Raluana,  and  from  there 
to  Diwaon  on  Saturday,  June  5,  where  I  bought  land  for  a 
mission  station.  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  one  of  the 
towns  on  the  coast  which  was  implicated  in  the  murder  of  our 
native  minister  and  teachers  ;  but  I  was  there  with  them  quite 
alone,  and  did  not  feel  the  slightest  fear.  Next  day,  Sunday,  I 
was  at  Diwaon  and  Karavia,  and  I  shall  never  forget  that  day. 
It  was  one  of  the  best  days  I  have  ever  spent  in  the  mission- 
field,  because  I  heard  then,  for  the  first  time,  a  New  Britain  chief 
preach  to  men  and  women  of  his  own  island  the  blessed  Gospel 
of  Christ  in  their  own  language.  Ilaita,  as  I  have  stated,  was 
the  man  who  asked  me  if  I  was  not  afraid  when  they  had 
entrapped  me  ashore  at  Kininigunan,  and,  whilst  not  amongst 
the  first  lot  baptized,  was  one  of  our  earliest  converts.  In 
a  letter  to  the  General  Secretary  of  June  14  I  gave  the 
following  account  of  this  service,  and  my  impressions  at 
the  time:  "Ilaita  and  his  brother  welcomed  us  to  Kinini- 
gunan in  the  early  days  when  there  was  not  a  trader  in 
the  group,  when  no  Duke  of  York  native  had  ever  slept  on 
the  coast,  when  few  if  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns,  which 
now  exchange  visits  regularly,  had  ever  seen  each  other,  and 
when  landing  on  New  Britain  was  deemed  to  be  rather  a 
hazardous  matter.  He  has  been  very  consistent  ever  since  the 
teacher  went  to  reside  amongst  them.  He  was  appointed  as 
local  preacher  at  our  last  meeting,  but  had  never  preached  away 
from  home  until  I  took  him  with  me  on  my  visit.  He  preached 
from,  '  The  earth  is  full  of  the  goodness  of  God  '  ;  and  I  was 
really  astounded  and  delighted  as  I  sat  and  heard  him.  His 
language  was  good,  and  he  spoke  earnestly  and  well,  without 
the  slightest  hesitancy,  and  yet  without  any  appearance  of 
assumption.  Oh  !  how  different  his  language  sounded  to  our 
poor  attempts.  The  natives  listened  with  ears,  mouths,  and 
eyes.  I  never  saw  such  an  attentive  congregation.  My  heart 
was  very  full  as  I  sat  and  listened,  and  I  felt  as  if  I  would  like  to 


A    NOTED    HEAD-HUNTER,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         381 

get  up  and  run  away  somewhere  into  the  bush  out  of  sight  and 
hearing  of  every  one  but  God.  It  was  a  rich  reward  for  all  our 
labours  and  trials.  And  this  was  in  Diwaon,  where  they 
cooked  and  ate  poor  Livai  only  two  years  ago,  and  in  sight  of 
the  hills  where  he  with  Silasa  and  the  others  were  killed  !  I 
wandered  myself  over  the  hills  on  Saturday  evening  with  a  crowd 
of  the  Diwaon  natives  with  me,  and  never  even  thought  of 
being  afraid.  I  wanted  to  take  Ilaita  on  to  Karavia,  and  so  we 
started  immediately  after  service.  They  were  not  expecting  us 
at  Karavia,  so  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing  what  the 
congregation  was  when  the  teacher  alone  was  preaching.  We 
landed  just  as  Peni  was  finishing  his  sermon,  and  I  was  pleased 
to  hear  him  speak  so  fluently,  and  to  find  such  a  good  con- 
gregation assembled.  Ilaita  preached  again  in  the  afternoon 
on  the  Ten  Commandments,  and  had  another  attentive  congrega- 
tion. I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  our  great  help  must 
come  from  the  people  themselves.  Once  let  us  get  a  fair  start 
with  a  few  more  men  like  Peni,  Petero,  and  Ilaita,  and  the  people 
will  at  all  events  soon  hear  and  know  the  Gospel.  I  am  continu- 
ally impressing  upon  the  teachers  the  necessity  of  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  instruction  and  training  of  any  who 
are  likely  to  become  themselves  preachers  and  teachers.  You 
have  often  thought  me  to  be  very  sanguine,  but  I  assure  you  I 
was  never  sanguine  enough  to  expect  to  hear  such  a  sermon  as 
I  heard  on  Sunday  week  from  a  New  Britain  native,  nor  to  hear 
such  prayers  as  I  have  often  heard  from  Peni  and  other  Duke  of 
York  natives  in  so  short  a  time  as  this.  I  wish  I  was  twenty 
years  younger,  or  that  I  could  get  a  thorough,  good  overhaul  in 
some  dock  or  other,  and  get  reclassed  for  a  few  years  more. 
But  there  I  must  leave  all  this,  and  just  wait  and  do  what  He 
marks  out  for  me. 

"  I  am  pretty  well  now.  Last  week  Mrs.  B.  and  I  went  to 
Kerawara,  where  I  opened  a  new  chapel.  To-morrow  or  next 
day  we  start  for  New  Ireland,  where  we  intend  to  remain  for  a 
week  or  so  whilst  visiting  all  the  teachers.  Since  our  two  dear 
little  ones  were  taken,  the  house  is  too  lonesome  for  my  dear  wife 


382  GEORGE    BROWN 

when  the  little  boy  and  I  are  away,  and  so  now  we  do  as  we 
did  nearly  twenty  years  ago,  before  the  children  came,  and 
often  go  together  to  visit  the  stations.  The  teachers  like  it, 
and  so  do  the  people,  and  we  also  enjoy  it.  So  all  are  pleased, 
and  we  can  do  more  good  than  by  simply  making  a  flying 
visit." 

On  June  16  Mrs.  Brown  and  I  started  for  Kalil,  New 
Ireland,  and  had  a  good  passage  across.  Next  day  I  opened 
the  new  church  at  Kalil,  and  we  remained  there  for  several  days. 
On  Monday,  June  21,  we  went  to  Kabanut,  where  I  found  that 
Topulu  (King  Dick),  our  Duke  of  York  chief,  had  been  engaged 
by  some  people  farther  down  the  coast  to  help  them  with  his 
musket  in  their  fight  with  the  Eretubu  people.  We  were  told 
that  he  had  trapped  the  Eretubu  natives  down  to  the  beach  by 
dressing  himself  and  party  as  teachers,  who  wished  to  buy  food, 
and  so  had  been  able  to  shoot  three  of  the  unfortunate  people.  As 
this  conduct  would  most  certainly  imperil  the  lives  of  our 
teachers,  I  determined  to  go  on  and  investigate  the  matter.  On 
our  way  down  we  met  Topulu  and  party  returning,  and  I  had 
a  somewhat  stormy  interview  with  the  old  man.  He  of  course 
denied  the  accusation,  but  I  told  him  that  if  I  found  that  he  had 
really  committed  the  murders  I  would  pay  for  the  men,  and  he 
would  have  to  refund  the  amount  to  me. 

I  wrote  the  following  account  of  our  journey  to  the  General 
Secretary,  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  under  date  July  1 6,  1880:  "I 
have  made  one  long  journey  to  New  Ireland  since  I  wrote  you 
last,  as  I  wished  very  much  to  settle  the  question  as  to  whether 
there  really  was  a  very  narrow  crossing  place  at  Kuras,  some 
thirty  miles  below  our  present  station  at  Kalil.  The  natives 
assured  me  in  1875  tnat  there  was  such  a  place,  and  so  I 
considered  it  very  important  indeed  to  find  out  if  it  were  really 
the  case,  as,  if  so,  a  teacher  or  missionary  stationed  at  such 
a  place  could  command  two  sides  of  the  island.  I  suppose  the 
natives  must  have  thought  that  we  wished  to  find  such  a  spot, 
and  so  every  account  we  heard  made  this  place  narrower  and 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        383 

narrower.  At  first  it  was  only  a  short  distance  across,  then 
men  could  be  heard  calling  from  one  beach  to  the  other,  and 
at  last  I  was  told  in  answer  to  a  question  of  mine  that  there 
was  only  one  little  difficult  place  to  prevent  me  from  hauling 
my  boat  across  the  isthmus  from  one  beach  to  the  other.  This 
settled  the  matter  ;  and  so  we  started  and  spent  a  few  days  at 
Kalil,  opening  a  new  church  there  and  baptizing  two  adults,  one 
of  them  a  woman,  the  first  one,  by-the-bye,  baptized  in  the 
Mission. 

"  We  had  a  good  run  to  Kuras  in  the  steam  launch,  towing 
the  whale-boat  nearly  all  the  way.     We  slept  at  the  house  of 

a  trader   here,   Captain  C ,  and    next    morning    I    said   to 

him  :  '  Now  we  will  soon  tell  you  about  this  wonderful  isthmus.' 
Mrs.  Brown  and  our  little  boy  went  with  us.  I  had  sent  to 
Kurumut  previously  to  get  guides,  etc.,  but  we  found  no  one  on 
the  beach  where  we  landed.  In  due  time,  however,  we  per- 
suaded one  man  to  go,  and  on  our  way  we  met  the  chief  and 
a  few  others.  We  soon  found  out  that  the  opposite  coast  was 
farther  away  than  we  expected.  Mrs.  Brown  walked  bravely 
on  for  several  miles,  when  she  most  unfortunately  got  a  bad 
attack  of  fever.  She  held  out  as  long  as  she  could,  but  at 
last  consented  to  be  carried  on  a  rope  slung  to  a  pole,  and  borne 
by  two  natives.  Of  course  we  had  been  told  that  it  was  'only  a 
short  distance,'  and  we  should  soon  see  the  opposite  beach.  But 
we  walked  mile  after  mile,  and  at  last  we  rested  on  the  bank 
of  a  small  rivulet,  when,  to  my  amazement,  I  found  out  that  we 
were  not  quite  half  way  across.  However,  we  pushed  on,  and 
got  to  the  opposite  coast  after  having  walked  at  least  fifteen 
miles.  If  ever  a  man  gets  his  boat  hauled  across  there  over  the 
hills  and  gullies  which  we  crossed,  he  will  be  a  very  enterprising 
man  indeed  ! 

"  We  soon  made  good  friends  with  the  people.  They  had 
evidently  not  had  much  intercourse  with  whites  ;  in  fact,  they 
told  us  that  we  were  the  first  they  had  ever  seen  except  in 
passing  vessels,  as  no  one  had  ever  landed  there.  I  objected 
to  the  house  shown  us  as  a  sleeping  place,  as  it  was  on  the 


384  GEORGE    BROWN 

beach  and  away  from  the  people,  and  finally  succeeded  in 
getting  the  use  of  a  yam  house,  which  was  nearly  empty. 
We  soon  made  ourselves  very  comfortable  there.  We  were 
all  very  hungry,  and  so  were  glad  enough  to  find  that  we  could 
get  some  food.  We  were  just  having  our  supper  when  one 
of  our  Kalil  lads  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  island  heard 
the  people  talking  about  our  being  Duke  of  York  people,  and, 
as  he  says,  proposing  to  kill  us  as  payment  for  three  of  their 
friends  from  Eretubu  who  had  been  killed  by  Topulu  (King 
Dick)  of  Duke  of  York  three  days  before.  We  had  heard  of 
that  murder  at  Kabanut,  and,  as  I  have  stated,  I  had  an  inter- 
view with  Topulu  on  the  subject  on  our  way  down.  The 
story  was  made  more  significant  by  the  fact  that  the  lad 
who  overheard  the  conversation  reported  that  they  had  re- 
cognised my  boy  Kaplen  as  being  the  son  (really  nephew)  of 
Topulu  ;  and  by  all  their  ideas  of  justice  it  was  quite  right  for 
them  to  kill  him,  and  all  who  were  with  him,  as  payment  for 
the  injury  done  to  them.  When  he  told  this  to  our  party  they 
were  all  very  frightened,  and  came  and  told  me  that  the  people 
were  going  to  attack  us.  I  was  not  disposed  to  pay  much 
attention  to  them,  as  I  knew  they  were  all  frightened  when  in 
a  strange  place  far  from  home.  Mrs.  Brown,  however,  was  much 
alarmed,  and  when  I  went  outside  I  found  all  our  party  very 
much  excited,  and  the  natives  of  the  place  beginning  to  look 
very  suspicious — not,  I  believe,  because  they  meant  to  injure  us, 
but  because  they  saw  that  our  people  were  excited,  and  they 
suspected  that  we  were  thinking  about  injuring  tJtem.  I  was 
afraid  lest  they  should  jump  up  and  run  away,  when  we  should 
not  have  been  able  to  explain,  and  so  would  have  had  trouble. 
Fortunately  we  had  a  very  good  interpreter  in  Petero,  our  local 
preacher  from  Kalil.  I  took  hold  of  his  arm  and  said  :  "  Tell 
them  we  are  friends,  and  mean  no  harm.  Tell  them  we  have 
heard  that  they  intend  to  attack  us  by-and-by."  Loud  cries 
of  "  No  !  No  !  Peace  !  Peace."  "  All  right !  Now  ask  them 
to  look  at  my  wife  and  my  boy  Geoff,  and  tell  me  if  a  man 
brings  his  wife  and  a  boy  like  that  when  he  comes  to  fight. 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        385 

Ask  them  if  they  would  take  women  and  little  children  with 
them  if  they  meant  to  fight  any  people."  This  made  a  very 
great  impression,  and  I  could  see  that  they  were  quite  satisfied 
as  to  our  peaceable  intentions.  We  had  service  with  them 
afterwards,  and  Petero  preached  in  their  own  language.  Just 
at  dusk,  by  special  request,  our  lads  fired  off  their  fowling 
pieces.  I  shot  a  fowl,  and  my  boy  Kaplen  hit  a  nut  tree,  and 
so  we  all  parted  very  good  friends.  No  one,  however,  slept 
much.  Mrs.  Brown  was  still  frightened  by  the  tales  she  had 
heard,  and  our  Duke  of  York  and  New  Ireland  people  were 
still  doubtful  ;  so  they  kept  watch  all  night.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  necessity  for  doing  so,  but  I  had  long  given  up 
attempting  to  convince  them  when  they  preferred  being 
frightened  and  uncomfortable. 

"  Next  morning  it  was  raining  hard,  but  all  were  so  anxious 
to  go  that  we  started  in  the  rain.  I  got  several  of  the  people 
to  accompany  us  on  the  pretence  of  helping  to  carry  our  goods, 
but  really  with  the  ulterior  object  of  getting  them  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island  to  make  friends  with  the  people  there.  For 
some  distance  our  road  was  through  tall,  coarse,  wet  grass 
higher  than  any  of  us,  so  we  had  a  constant  bath  all  the  way. 
We  went  at  a  great  rate  for  several  miles,  as  the  men  almost 
ran  who  were  carrying  Mrs.  Brown,  and  we,  of  course,  kept  up 
with  them.  The  people  in  all  the  little  villages  we  passed  were 
very  kind  and  pleasant,  and  I  feel  sure  that  they  meant  us 
no  harm.  Still,  perhaps,  it  was  as  well  that  we  heard  their  first 
foolish  talk,  and  so  were  able  to  stop  any  further  nonsense. 
The  place  where  we  slept  is  called  Bo,  and  is  nearly  opposite  the 
island  of  Gerrit  Denys,  and  some  distance  farther  north  than  where 
I  crossed  from  Kalil  in  1878.  The  whole  of  the  east  coast  oi 
New  Ireland  is  much  more  level  than  the  west  side,  the  mountain 
range  is  much  farther  inland,  and  the  ascent  is  not  nearly  so 
abrupt  as  on  the  west  side.  I  have  noticed  this  peculiarity  in 
the  Solomons  Group,  and  also  in  most  of  the  Islands.  We 
went  a  different  way  back,  which  the  natives  repeatedly  assured 
us  was  much  nearer,  and  only  a  little  more  difficult.  The  fact 

25 


386  GEORGE    BROWN 

was  that  it  was  much  longer,  and  much  more  difficult,  but  it  led 
through  one  of  our  chief's  villages,  at  which  he  wished  us  to  call. 
However,  we  got  a  fine  view  of  Gerrit  Denys  and  all  the  coast 
line  from  the  summit  of  the  range,  so  we  were  well  pleased. 
We  reached  Captain  C.'s  station  again  about  I  p.m.,  having 
travelled  at  a  good  rate  most  of  the  way  over.  So  we  found 
that  our  narrow  isthmus  was  at  least  fifteen  rrn'les  across,  or 
as  broad  as  almost  any  other  part  of  the  island.  There  are, 
however,  no  high  mountains  to  cross,  and  with  a  little  labour 
a  bridle  track  might  easily  be  made.  On  our  way  up  the  coast 
again  we  called  at  Eretubu,  and  I  paid  for  the  three  men  whom 
King  Dick  had  shot.  Our  teachers  go  there  to  buy  food,  and 
I  wished  to  show  that  we  have  no  sympathy  at  all  with  Dick 
in  his  wicked  doings." 

On  October  26  I  again  wrote  to  the  General  Secretary,  and 
as  the  letter  contains  an  account  of  the  state  of  our  work  at 
that  date,  and  also  of  the  conditions  in  which  it  was  carried  on, 
I  reproduce  the  principal  portions  :  "  On  September  14  H.M.S. 
Beagle  arrived  here,  and  has  been  in  the  neighbourhood  ever 
since.  Sunday,  September  19,  was  a  high  day  with  us  here.  I 
preached  that  day  to  the  largest  congregation  I  have  ever 
preached  to  in  this  group.  Our  church  at  Molot  is  by  far  the 
largest  we  have,  and  it  was  crammed,  and  some  had  to  sit 
outside.  We  were  holding  our  regular  general  meeting  of 
teachers  that  week,  and  so  I  arranged  to  baptize  all  the  accepted 
candidates  on  that  Sunday.  I  remember  one  of  our  preachers 
saying  in  Conference  that  he  had  very  few  fine  sermons,  but  he 
flattered  himself  that  he  had  '  a  fine  collection  of  most  beautiful 
texts,'  and  I  certainly  thought  that  day,  as  I  preached  from  the 
parable  of  the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  and  contrasted  the  large 
and  attentive  congregation  before  me  with  the  few  poor  ignorant, 
naked  people  we  used  to  collect  together  under  a  tree,  or  in  our 
little  house,  five  years  ago,  to  talk  to  them  in  pidgin-English, 
that  I  not  only  had  a  beautiful  and  appropriate  text,  but  also 
one  of  which  I  was  privileged  to  see  the  practical  and  literal 
fulfilment.  I  baptized  fourteen  adults,  principally  young  men, 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        387 

and  one  woman,  the  wife  of  our  local  preacher,  Peni.  It  was 
really  a  most  gratifying  sight,  and  we  felt  well  repaid  for  all 
our  labours  here.  Mr.  Danks  came  in  from  his  appointment 
during  the  service,  and  assisted  me  in  giving  the  Sacrament  at 
the  close.  At  our  teachers'  meeting  the  reports  from  nearly  all 
the  teachers  were  very  encouraging,  and  we  can  now  report  that 
schools  are  regularly  held  in  all  our  stations.  Two  other  young 
men  were  proposed  as  local  preachers,  but  their  acceptance  was 
deferred  until  they  had  been  personally  examined  by  Mr.  Danks 
or  myself.  A  social  question,  in  which  one  of  our  teachers  was 
deeply  interested,  was  the  subject  of  much  discussion.  He  is  a 
good  fellow,  one  of  the  pioneer  band  of  1875,  who  has  hitherto 
lived  in  what  is  falsely  called  a  state  of  single  blessedness,  but 
who  now  proposes  to  take  to  himself  a  wife  from  amongst  the 
ladies  of  the  land.  The  meeting  quite  approved  of  his  choice, 
or,  rather,  they  approved  of  the  young  lady's  desire — for  I  believe 
the  proposition  came  from  her  in  the  first  place ;  but  they 
decided  that  the  consummation  must  be  postponed  indefinitely, 
until  the  lady  has  been  brought  away  from  her  village  and  has 
resided  for  some  time  with  the  catechist  here  in  Duke  of  York, 
for  the  purpose  of  being  properly  instructed  both  in  spiritual 
and  temporal  affairs.  She  is  here  now,  and  I  believe  will  prove 
to  be  a  suitable  wife,  and  a  help  to  him  in  his  work.  I  was  very 
glad  indeed  that  Captain  de  Hoghton  was  able  to  attend  one 
of  our  services  here.  He  saw  only  our  small  congregation 
in  this  village,  but  we  had  a  very  good  attendance  that  after- 
noon. 

"  After  our  meetings  were  over  Captain  de  Hoghton  very 
kindly  asked  me  to  go  with  him  on  a  short  cruise  down  the  New 
Ireland  coast.  We  expected  to  be  back  in  ten  or  fourteen  days, 
but  a  lot  of  calm  days  protracted  our  voyage,  so  that  we  were 
more  than  three  weeks  away.  I  am,  however,  very  glad  that  I 
went,  as  I  have  now  a  much  more  correct  knowledge  of  the  New 
Ireland  coast  in  our  own  immediate  neighbourhood  than  I  had 
before.  We  sailed  slowly  along  the  coast,  quite  close  inshore,  as 
it  was  very  fine  weather,  so  I  had  an  excellent  opportunity 


388  GEORGE    BROWN 

for  getting  a  good  knowledge  of  the  district  We  found  that 
the  coast  is  far  more  densely  populated  from  Kuras  (our  furthest 
known  place  hitherto)  going  north  than  it  is  in  any  other  part 
that  we  have  ever  visited.  Beginning  at  a  point  only  forty  or 
fifty  miles  from  here,  we  found  numbers  of  large  villages  on  the 
coast,  whilst  the  number  of  plantation  clearings  on  the  hill- 
sides prove  that  there  is  a  very  large  population  all  along  the 
coast.  Some  of  the  villages  were  at  least  a  mile  long,  and  we 
often  had  thirty  or  forty  canoes  alongside  the  vessel  at  once. 
What  we  saw  has  convinced  me  that  our  selection  of  this  place 
as  the  centre  of  our  new  Mission  was  a  right  one,  as  we  have, 
within  a  radius  of  only  fifty  miles  from  Port  Hunter,  a 
population  which  I  am  sure  will  heavily  tax  our  utmost  efforts 
for  many  years  to  come.  We  visited  Sandwich  Island,  the 
Portland  Group,  and  New  Hanover,  so  I  am  now  pretty  well 
informed  as  to  the  different  places  about  here. 

"  And  now  I  must  tell  you  of  other  things  not  so  pleasant 
as  these  to  write  about.  I  seem  to  be  always  reporting  to  you 
some  massacre  or  murder,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  this  letter 
will  be  no  exception  to  the  rule,  as  four,  if  not  five,  people  have 
been  killed  this  month.  We  have  not  yet  got  the  full  particulars, 
but  the  facts  are  as  follows  : 

"  The  cutter  Lelia,  engaged  in  trading  for  Mr.  Farrell,  now  in 
Sydney,  went  to  Kabair,  in  Port  Weber,  New  Britain,  to  collect 
copra  early  in  this  month.  Some  trade  had  been  previously 
left  with  one  of  the  chiefs  there,  with  which  he  was  to  purchase 
copra.  They  went  there  on  the  pth  instant,  and  either  got  no 
copra  at  all,  or  only  a  very  small  quantity,  which  was  not 
equivalent  to  the  goods  supplied.  The  chief,  however,  said  he 
had  no  more  to  give.  Mr.  Murray,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
cutter,  then  went  on  board,  telling  the  chief  he  would  visit  him 
again  the  next  day.  Whether  this  was  meant  as  a  menace  or 
not  I  cannot  say,  but  it  is  pretty  certain  the  people  so  under- 
stood it.  Next  morning,  Sunday,  the  i8th  instant,  Mr.  Murray, 
master  of  the  cutter,  Mr.  Anderson,  late  mate  of  the  Sea  Rip, 
Mr.  Beninger,  a  trader  of  Mr.  Farrell's  (one  of  the  French 


A    MAN    OF    NEW    GEORGIA,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS. 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         389 

colonists),  and  a  Solomon  Island  man,  landed,  armed,  for  the 
purpose  of  getting  some  payment  either  in  copra  or  diwara 
(native  money)  for  the  goods  supplied.  What  took  place 
afterwards  is  at  present  a  matter  of  conjecture  only,  as  they 
were  all  killed  soon  after  landing.  One  native,  the  chief  himself, 
is  said  to  be  wounded  by  a  shot  from  a  revolver.  The  bodies  of 
the  three  white  men  were  recovered,  but  that  of  the  Solomon  ' 
Islander  was  taken  away  and  eaten.  A  few  days  after  this 
another  of  Mr.  Farrell's  traders,  called  Colfurty  (also  one  of  the 
French  colonists),  was  found  shot  dead  in  his  house  near  Ratavul, 
not  far  from  Kabakada.  The  natives  say  he  shot  himself  when 
delirious,  but  the  general  belief  is  that  he  was  shot  by  the 
natives,  who  sacked  the  house  the  same  night.  Captain  de 
Hoghton,  in  common,  I  believe,  with  all  the  other  commanders 
of  Her  Majesty's  ships,  is  not  allowed  to  interfere  in  any  way 
in  the  case  of  outrages  committed  against  British  subjects,  but 
must  confine  himself  to  simply  investigating  the  matter,  and 
then  report  to  the  Commodore,  who,  I  presume,  will  then 
report  to  Fiji.  He  has  now  gone  to  Kabair  for  that  purpose. 
Kabair  is  the  place  where  Jamieson  was  murdered  in  1876 
— the  first  murder  down  here.  There  have  been  plenty  since 
that. 

"  Then  there  was  an  affair  at  Kininigunan  a  few  weeks  ago, 
which  was  bad  enough,  but  might  have  been  much  worse.  A 
Frenchman  (another  of  the  colonists)  was  employed  there, 
trading  for  a  firm  at  Noumea,  whose  vessel,  the  Venus,  was 
lying  there  at  the  time  the  affair  happened.  The  Frenchman's 
story  is  that  a  native  was  in  his  house.  He  ordered  him  out 
several  times,  but  the  man  refused  to  go,  and  got  insolent,  when 
the  Frenchman  struck  him.  The  man  ran  away  crying,  and  the 
chief  came  running  up,  and,  as  the  white  man  says,  aimed  a 
blow  at  him  with  his  tomahawk.  On  this  he  drew  his  revolver, 
and  shot  the  chief  dead  with  a  ball  through  his  head.  There 
was  at  once  a  rush,  but  the  white  man  got  away  into  the  water, 
and  was  picked  up  by  a  boat  from  the  vessel.  A  woman  was 
badly  cut,  and  the  house  was  sacked.  And  now  let  me  tell  you 


390  GEORGE    BROWN 

what  took  place,  that  you  may  judge  whether  our  teachers  have 
influence  or  not.  Peni  Raiwalui,  our  catechist,  and  another 
teacher,  unaided  by  any  white  missionary  or  trader,  went 
amongst  the  natives,  who  were  still  smarting  under  the  loss  of 
the  chief,  and  succeeded  in  getting  them  to  restore  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  goods  which  they  had  taken  away  when  the  white 
man  fled  after  shooting  the  chief.  Out  of  about  fifty  pounds' 
worth  of  property  taken,  about  forty  pounds'  worth  was 
recovered,  the  remainder  being  probably  in  possession  of  the 
bush  natives,  who  were  down  at  the  time.  Mr.  Banks  arrived 
there  soon  after,  and,  with  the  teacher,  got  a  few  more  articles, 
and  then  induced  the  natives  to  make  peace  again.  Captain 
Champion,  the  supercargo  of  the  vessel,  paid  for  the  man 
who  was  shot,  and  the  natives  paid  him  for  the  injury  done 
to  the  woman,  and  all  was  right  again.  Captain  Champion 
behaved  very  well  indeed  throughout  the  affair,  and  seemed 
anxious  to  act  kindly  and  fairly  to  the  natives.  He  expressed 
himself  to  be  both  astonished  and  delighted  at  the  conduct 
and  influence  of  the  teacher.  The  trader  was  at  once  dis- 
charged from  his  employ  for  having  needlessly  provoked  the 
quarrel." 

The  following  letter,  with  its  accompanying  extract,  which 
was  published  in  the  Weekly  Advocate  of  January  i,  1881, 
was  very  gratifying  to  all  our  friends,  as  giving  an  impartial 
and  unsolicited  testimony  to  the  work  which  was  being 
carried  on  : 

"H.M.S.  Wolverene**. 

"Sydney,  Dec.  22,  1880. 

"  SIR, 

"  I  have  much  pleasure  in  forwarding  to  you  the  enclosed 
extract  from  a  letter  I  have  received  from  Lieutenant  de 
Hoghton,  commanding  H.M.S.  Beagle^  testifying  to  the  good 
work  done  by  the  missionaries  and  teachers  stationed  at  Duke 
of  York  Island  and  New  Britain  Group  ;  and  I  beg  particularly 
that  my  thanks  may  be  conveyed  to  Messrs.  Brown  and  Danks 
for  the  great  assistance  rendered  by  them  at  all  times  to  H.M.'s 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE         391 

ships,  materially  aiding  their  commanders  in  carrying  out  often 
most  delicate  and  onerous  duties. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
"  J.  C.  WILSON, 

"  Commodore. 
"  REV.  B.  CHAPMAN,  General  Secretary 

"  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society, 
"  Sydney? 

Extract  from  a  letter  received  by  Commodore  Wilson  from 
Lieutenant  de  Hoghton,  of  H.M.S.  Beagle,  December  4, 
1880: 

"On  October  19,  1880,  being  off  Kuras,  I  landed  and 
communicated  with  Captain  Glasson,  the  white  trader,  who 
pressed  Mr.  Brown  strongly  to  send  a  teacher  there ;  he,  I 
think,  in  common  with  most  traders,  deeming  a  teacher's 
presence  and  influence  with  the  natives  as  a  great  safeguard. 
And  here,  sir,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  a  few  words  in 
regard  to  the  Mission  established  here.  I  have  spent  some  time 
now  in  this  locality,  and  it  is  my  decided  opinion  that  the 
Mission  is  doing  unmixed  good  wherever  its  influence  is  felt. 
There  are  now  about  twenty-nine  stations  established  in  New 
Britain,  New  Ireland,  and  the  Duke  of  York  Group.  At  all 
these  stations  the  native  teachers  (Fijians,  Tongans,  and 
Samoans)  can  converse  freely  with  the  natives  in  their  own  (the 
native)  language,  and  at  all  but  two  stations  the  teachers 
are  able  to,  and  do,  preach  and  conduct  Divine  service  in  the 
same  language.  I  have,  I  believe,  seen  the  whole  of  the 
teachers,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  they  are  a  most  respectable 
and  worthy  body  of  men.  I  have  heard  them  conduct  service, 
and  preach  to  a  church  full  of  natives,  who,  outwardly,  certainly 
listened  attentively  to  what  was  said  ;  and  among  their  numbers 
is  an  old  New  Britain  chief,  who  is,  I  believe,  a  sincere  convert 
to  Christianity.  These  men,  living  as  they  do,  and  associating 
with  the  natives,  are  a  constant  example  to  them  of  a  better  life 
than  their  own.  The  natives  see  the  clean,  well-built,  roomy 


392  GEORGE    BROWN 

houses  of  the  teachers  ;  they  see  he  has  but  one  wife,  who 
is  treated  as  his  equal,  the  man  doing  the  hard  work,  and  the 
woman  attending  to  the  domestic  duties  ;  they  see  him  leading 
an  industrious,  quiet,  orderly  life,  and  in  all  respects  better  than 
their  own,  and  they  see  and  know  they  worship  some  Being 
unknown  to  them.  The  missionaries  rely  greatly  (and  I  think 
rightly)  on  the  example  thus  shown  ;  and  that  it  has  borne  fruit 
is  self-evident  from  one  fact  alone — namely,  that  several  natives 
have  adopted  the  teachers'  style  of  building  houses  ;  and  I  don't 
doubt  but  that  this  beginning  will  spread.  The  teachers  have 
great  influence  over  the  natives,  and  I  think  the  following  fact 
will  undeniably  prove  it.  On  the  recent  occasion  of  the  killing 
of  a  chief  at  Kininigunan  by  a  Frenchman,  the  Frenchman's 
house  was  looted  by  the  natives,  and  trade  valued  at  £50  was 
taken  and  stolen.  The  teachers  immediately,  without  waiting 
to  communicate  with  the  missionaries,  went  round  to  all  the 
villages  (some  five  miles  inland),  and  actually  persuaded  the 
people  to  restore  the  greater  part  of  the  trade,  they  receiving 
£56  worth,  and  a  few  pounds'  worth  more  being  brought  in 
afterwards.  I  have  visited  many  teachers'  houses,  and  almost 
invariably  find  natives  sitting  in  them  conversing  with  the 
teachers.  Finally,  I  believe  that  if  the  requests  of  the  natives 
themselves  to  have  teachers  stationed  in  their  villages  were 
complied  with,  three  times  the  present  number  of  teachers  would 
be  insufficient." 

From  the  date  of  my  return  from  the  long  trip  in  H.M.S. 
Beagle,  October  20,  to  the  end  of  the  year,  we  were  kept  very 
busy  indeed,  as  I  had  to  pack  up  our  goods,  had  many  matters 
to  settle  with  the  teachers,  and,  in  addition,  had  to  take  several 
long  journeys,  some  of  which  were  made  difficult  and  dangerous 
by  the  very  heavy  weather  which  prevailed  in  the  north-west 
monsoon. 

I  visited  all  the  villages  in  Duke  of  York  Group,  made 
several  visits  to  New  Britain  and  also  to  almost  every  station 
on  New  Ireland.  On  one  of  these  last  visits  to  New  Ireland 


THIRD    TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         393 

I  married,  on  November  24,  the  Fijian  teacher  Elimotama  to 
Mere  (Mary),  a  girl  from  Kabanut.  Elimotama  was  the 
first  of  our  teachers  who  took  to  himself  a  wife  from  amongst 
the  people  with  whom  he  lived,  but  his  example  was  often 
followed  by  others  in  later  years. 

On  Thursday,  December  2,  the  John  Hunt  arrived,  and 
anchored  at  Port  Hunter  in  the  evening.  A  few  days  after 
this  we  passed  through  one  of  the  most  terrible  times  of 
anxiety  and  distress  which  I  have  ever  experienced  in  my 
mission  life.  It  is  both  a  delicate  and  difficult  matter  to 
relate,  but  it  seems  right  and  proper  for  me  to  give  some 
account  of  it,  in  order  that  my  readers  may  have  some  idea 
of  the  painful  circumstances  in  which  some  of  the  missionaries 
were  placed  in  those  early  days  when  far  away  from  medical 
aid.  It  is  impossible,  however,  for  any  one  to  thoroughly 
realise  the  crushing  weight  of  anxiety  and  responsibility  which 
we  felt  at  the  time. 

On  Sunday,  December  5,  Mrs.  Danks  was  taken  ill,  and  we 
fully  expected  soon  to  welcome  the  advent  of  the  second  baby 
born  in  the  Mission,  our  own  little  Wallis  being  the  first ; 
but  it  was  not  until  Tuesday  evening,  December  7,  that  our 
hopes  were  realised,  just  when  we  were  in  the  depths  of  despair 
and  sorrow,  and  not  until  Thursday,  the  Qth,  that  we  had  any 
hope  of  safety  of  either  mother  or  child.  During  a  long 
life  I  have  never  passed  through  a  period  of  such  intense 
anxiety  as  we  experienced  during  the  five  days  in  which  our 
dear  sister  was  ill,  and  never  did  the  weight  of  responsibility 
press  so  heavily  upon  me  ;  but  I  cannot  possibly  give  more 
than  a  faint  idea  of  our  position  and  the  terrible  anxiety 
and  pain  which  we  suffered.  Our  sister  was  taken  ill  on 
Sunday,  but  on  Tuesday  the  babe  was  still  unborn.  There 
was  no  medical  man  nearer  than  the  settlement  of  the  Marquis 
de  Rays'  colonists  at  Metlik,  which  was  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  away,  and  to  reach  that  place  a  long  and  dangerous 
sea  journey  in  an  open  boat  was  necessary.  At  3  p.m.,  how- 
ever, I  sent  away  the  whale-boat  with  a  picked  crew,  with 


394  GEORGE    BROWN 

instructions  to  proceed  at  once  to  Metlik  with  a  letter  from 
me  to  Commander  Le  Prevost,  asking  him  to  send  the  medical 
officer  of  the  settlement  as  soon  as  possible,  and  telling  him 
that  we  were  taking  our  patient  in  the  John  Hunt,  and  would 
probably  meet  the  doctor  in  the  channel,  but  that  if  we  did 
not  do  so  he  was  to  come  with  all  possible  despatch  to  Port 
Hunter.  I  then  had  a  litter  prepared,  and  gave  instructions 
for  the  schooner  to  be  got  ready  for  sea.  After  this  was  done 
I  decided  to  wait  a  little  longer,  and  just  after  dark,  to  our 
great  joy,  the  baby  was  born.  We  were  full  of  thankfulness 
and  would  have  recalled  the  boat,  but  as  after  events  proved 
it  was  most  providential  that  we  were  not  able  to  do  so. 
Fresh  complications  ensued,  and  our  anxiety  for  the  safety 
of  our  dear  sister  was  revived  in  greater  intensity  than  before. 
We  did  all  that  was  possible  to  us,  and  we  were  assured 
afterwards  that  our  treatment,  by  God's  blessing,  undoubtedly 
saved  our  dear  sister's  life  until  the  necessary  help  was 
available. 

On  Thursday  I  wrote  in  my  diary :  "  We  were  all  very 
anxious  and  sad  this  morning.  I  felt  quite  faint  and  ill  with 
anxiety  and  sorrow,  as  I  knew  well  that  the  end  must  soon 
come  unless  help  were  given  ;  but  as  this  necessitated  the 
administration  of  chloroform,  I  was  very  unwilling  to  do  it 
on  my  own  responsibility.  I  had  to  tell  my  dear  brother 
Danks,  however,  that  any  further  delay  would  undoubtedly 
prove  fatal  to  our  beloved  patient,  and  that  if  there  were 
no  signs  of  the  doctor  before  evening,  I  should  feel  compelled 
to  accept  the  responsibility ;  and  in  this  he  fully  agreed." 
Mrs.  Danks  was  wonderfully  calm  and  quiet,  and  never  uttered 
one  word  of  complaint.  She  was  fully  resigned  to  God's  will 
and  never  murmured  at  the  suffering  which  she  had  to  bear. 
God  was  very  near  her,  and  I  feel  certain  that  she  was 
sustained  by  the  assurance  given  to  her  by  Him  that  all 
would  be  well  with  her.  We  anxiously  swept  the  horizon 
with  our  glasses  hour  after  hour  for  the  appearance  of  the 
boat,  and  the  natives  also  were  eagerly  looking  for  her  from 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE         395 

every  good  position,  each  one  anxious  to  be  the  first  to  sight 
her.  Oh !  how  slowly  those  weary  hours  passed.  But  at 
length  we  heard  the  welcome  "  Sail  ho  !  Sail  ho ! "  and  at 
once  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  villages  took  up 
the  cry.  As  soon  as  we  saw  the  doctor  was  in  the  boat  I 
went  down  to  the  beach  to  meet  him,  but  I  was  utterly  unable 
to  speak  to  him.  I  made  several  attempts  to  do  so,  but  it 
was  not  until  we  were  quite  close  to  the  house  that  I  could 
utter  a  single  word.  It  was  an  experience  which  I  had  never 
before  had,  nor  have  I  ever  had  it  since.  I  was,  of  course, 
under  deep  emotion,  but  the  difficulty  of  speech  was  a  physical 
one.  My  mouth  was  dry  and  parched,  and  it  was  not  until 
my  feelings  were  relieved  by  an  outburst  of  tears  that  I  was 
able  to  do  more  than  simply  grasp  the  hand  of  Dr.  Goyon, 
and  lead  him  up  the  path  to  the  mission  house.  As  I 
expected,  he  found  it  necessary  to  administer  an  anaesthetic, 
and  then  he  successfully  performed  the  necessary  operation. 
I  could  only  write  in  my  diary  that  night  the  words  :  "  Oh, 
how  thankful  we  were.  What  a  revulsion  of  feeling  !  From 
death  to  life ! "  We  were  very  happy,  and  though  the  danger 
was  not  quite  past  we  were  full  of  hope  that  by  God's  blessing 
our  dear  sister's  life  would  be  spared.  Our  hopes  were  fully 
realised,  and  the  baby  boy  whose  life  was  so  mercifully 
preserved  was  dedicated  by  his  parents  to  the  service  of  God 
in  the  mission  field.  This  solemn  dedication  was  never  recalled  ; 
and  the  proof  that  it  was  accepted  by  God  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  son  is  now  a  missionary  in  New  Britain,  in 
the  very  Circuit  in  which  he  was  born  ;  and  he  and  his  good 
wife  are  carrying  on  the  great  work  which  was  so  dear  to 
his  beloved  parents,  and  for  which  they  suffered  so  much. 

There  were  some  events  in  connection  with  this  incident 
which  I  have  always  regarded  as  providential.  In  the  first 
place,  we  had  been  able  to  render  great  assistance  to  the 
French  colonists,  and  so  had  a  claim  on  them  which  they 
very  gladly  acknowledged.  Dr.  Goyon  told  us  that  he  con- 
sidered it  to  be  a  great  privilege  to  be  able  to  help  us.  Then 


396  GEORGE    BROWN 

we  would  certainly  have  recalled  the  boat  when  the  baby 
was  born  if  it  had  been  possible  to  do  so  ;  and  if  this  had 
been  done  Mrs.  Danks  would  very  probably  have  died.  Then 
chloroform  and  ether  are  not  generally  found  amongst  a 
missionary's  stores.  Dr.  Goyon  had  not  brought  either  of 
them  with  him,  and  he  was  both  surprised  and  thankful  when 
.1  was  able  to  supply  him  with  those  very  necessary  drugs. 
God  was  very  good  to  us  all  this  time,  and  we  felt  very 
grateful.  In  connection  with  the  incident  I  feel  it  to  be  a 
great  privilege  to  record  the  noble  conduct  of  the  teachers 
and  people  whom  we  sent  away  for  assistance.  They  left 
us  in  the  whale-boat  at  3  p.m.  on  Tuesday,  December  7,  and 
returned  with  Dr.  Goyon  on  Thursday,  December  9,  about 
the  same  hour.  In  those  forty-eight  hours  those  noble  men 
travelled  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  as,  owing  to 
wind  and  currents,  they  had  to  follow  the  coast-line  nearly 
all  the  way  to  Metlik,  and  back  to  Port  Hunter.  During  all 
that  time  they  never  rested  or  ceased  from  rowing  except 
when  they  got  an  occasional  respite  by  taking  advantage  of 
the  wind  or  land  breeze  on  some  parts  of  the  coast,  when 
some  of  them  were  able  to  get  a  few  minutes'  sleep.  On  the 
return  from  Metlik,  however,  they  had  to  contend  with  a 
contrary  wind  and  strong  currents,  and  had  to  pull  nearly 
all  the  way  back.  It  was  a  grand  proof  of  their  endurance 
and  courage,  and  of  their  love  for  the  dear  lady  whose  life 
they  knew  was  in  great'  peril. 

As  Mrs.  Danks  gradually  recovered  strength,  we  were  busy 
packing  and  getting  ready  to  start  for  Sydney  in  the  John  Hunt. 
During  this  time  an  incident  occurred  which  I  should  not  have 
felt  free  to  mention  but  for  the  fact  that  it  was  published 
without  our  knowledge.  I  had  noticed  that  my  dear  wife  was 
very  troubled  about  leaving  Mrs.  Danks  and  the  baby  without 
any  other  white  women  with  her.  I  often  found  her  in  tears, 
and  strangely  apathetic  about  our  packing.  At  last  she  came 
and  proposed  that  I  should  return  in  the  John  Hunt  with 
our  boy,  and  that  she  should  stay  behind  until  Mr.  Rooney 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        397 

came,  and  return  alone  by  some  other  vessel.  What  it 
cost  her  to  make  this  offer  none  can  tell,  but  of  her  sincerity 
there  was  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt.  I  was  simply 
astounded  when  I  heard  the  proposition,  and  felt  humbled 
and  ashamed  at  my  own  conduct  as  compared  with  such 
an  act  of  sacrifice  as  my  dear  wife  asked  me  to  sanction. 
I  could  only  leave  the  decision  to  her.  The  sequel  is  found 
in  the  following  extract  which  I  first  saw  or  knew  of  when 
it  was  published  in  T/ie  Weekly  Advocate  of  February  26, 
1881  : 

"  Missionary  heroines  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  flesh  as  well 
as  read  about  in  books.  The  wife  of  our  .  .  .  missionary,  Geo. 
Brown,  is  one  of  these.  Mrs.  Banks,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Brown's 
colleague  in  New  Britain,  and  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
Watsford,  who  had  been  brought  down  to  death's  door,  thus 
writes  of  her  :  '  I  cannot  attempt  to  give  you  the  least  idea  of 
the  love  and  kindness  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown.  If  I  had  been 
their  own  child  they  could  not  have  done  more  ;  night  and  day 
they  were  with  me,  doing  all  in  their  power,  and  in  such 
distress  when  they  thought  I  must  die.  Mrs.  Brown  has  been 
so  good  to  my  dear  baby,  and  has  done  everything  for  it. 
How  I  shall  miss  her  no  one  knows.  One  day  soon  after  my 
baby  was  born  I  was  thinking  of  their  going  away,  and  felt 
very  low.  Mrs.  Brown  noticed  it,  and  coming  to  me  asked, 
"  What  makes  you  low-spirited  ?  "  I  said,  "  Several  things  ;  one 
is  your  going  away."  She  said  she  thought  that  was  it,  and  she 
then  offered,  if  Mr.  Brown  would  let  her,  to  remain  with  me 
till  Mr.  Rooney  came.  Of  course  I  would  not  hear  of  this. 
Several  times  afterwards  she  told  me  how  willingly  she  would 
remain  if  I  would  let  her.  Here  she  has  been  three  or  four 
years  away  from  her  dear  children,  and  yet  she  was  willing 
to  remain  some  time  longer,  to  comfort  and  help  me.  Not 
one  in  a  thousand  would  have  thought  of  such  a  thing,  much 
less  propose  it.  Such  a  woman  is  an  honour  to  her  sex,  and 
a  living  rebuke  of  the  selfishness  which  rules  the  life  of  most 
people.' " 


398  GEORGE    BROWN 

GOOD-BYE  ! 

And  now  the  time  came  for  our  bidding  good-bye  to  the 
people  amongst  whom  we  had  lived  and  laboured,  to  whom  it 
had  been  our  privilege  to  proclaim  for  the  first  time  the  blessed 
Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  tell  them  of  their  privileges 
as  the  children  of  God,  and  by  God's  blessing  to  lead  some  of 
them  to  that  peace  and  joy  which  is  given  to  men  and  women 
the  wide  world  over  who,  being  justified  by  faith  in  Him  who 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost,  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Whilst  busily  engaged  in  packing  and  attending  to  the  many 
wants  of  the  teachers  and  the  people,  I  often  felt  very  sad  at 
the  prospect  of  leaving  them  all.  The  sufferings  and  privations, 
the  disappointments  and  sorrows,  were  all  forgotten,  and  I  could 
think  of  nothing  but  the  many  acts  of  kindness  we  had  received 
from  so  many  of  the  people,  and  their  evident  regret  that  we 
were  about  to  leave  them.  I  was  especially  pleased  with  the 
many  little  presents  which  they  brought  us,  not  because  of  any 
intrinsic  value  which  they  had,  but  because  the  very  fact  of  their 
giving  anything  at  all,  without  the  slightest  idea  or  desire  of 
receiving  a  return  present,  showed  such  an  utter  change  in  their 
nature  and  was  such  a  convincing  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  their 
love.  I  could,  however,  have  said  very  little  indeed  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  last  few  days,  and  I  did  not,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  make  any  notes  whatever  of  them.  I  found  out  afterwards, 
however,  when  the  account  appeared  in  the  Connexional  paper, 
that  my  good  colleague,  Rev.  B.  Banks,  had  done  this,  and  had 
said  many  things  which  I  could  not  possibly  have  said.  As 
Mr.  Banks  gives  a  very  correct  account  of  the  state  of  the 
Mission  at  the  time,  I  give  the  following  extracts  from  his  letter, 
dated  Becember  31,  1880,  addressed  to  the  General  Secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Society  and  published  in  The  Weekly  Advocate  of 
February  26,  1881  : 

"We  have  had  great  work  among  the  natives  over  Mr.  Brown's 
departure.     I  wish  you  could  have  been  present  with  us  during 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        399 

the  past  few  days,  and  seen  the  natives  as  they  trooped  up 
to  Mr.  Brown's  house,  bringing  pigs,  fowls,  spears,  clubs, 
and  other  things  which  they  count  valuable,  and  laying 
them  at  his  feet,  without  seeking  any  return  ;  and  many  of 
them  with  tears  in  their  eyes  giving  expression  to  their  regret 
at  the  prospect  of  parting  with  their  '  best  friend.'  This 
is  more  than  we  expected  from  men  who  have  not  yet 
emerged  from  heathenism.  Men  from  near  and  far  have 
called  upon  Mr.  Brown  and  shown  their  respect  to  him  in 
this  manner.  Chiefs  and  commoners  have  vied  with  each 
other  in  doing  honour  to  our  brother  who  has  laboured  so 
earnestly  and  well  for  their  benefit. 

"  One  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  time  when  Mr.  Brown 
and  his  brave  staff  of  teachers  landed  on  these  shores.  It 
is  not  so  long  ago — only  five  years — and  yet  such  a  change 
has  been  wrought  among  the  people  that  a  trader  said  the 
other  day  to  Mr.  Brown :  '  The  story  of  the  condition  of 
these  people  five  years  ago,  to  a  new-comer,  would  sound 
almost  like  a  fable.'  This  change  is  more  visible  on  Duke 
of  York  than  anywhere  else,  yet  there  is  a  wonderful  change 
wrought  in  our  most  remote  stations.  The  traders  are  so 
sensible  of  the  good  influence  of  our  teachers  over  the 
native  mind,  that  some  of  them  have  joined  with  the  natives 
in  requesting  that  teachers  might  be  appointed  to  the  several 
villages  yet  unoccupied  by  us. 

"I  landed  here  in  December  1878,  yet  I  cannot  give  you 
from  actual  experience  a  correct  account  of  the  condition 
in  which  Mr.  Brown  found  them.  Stories,  obtained  from  the 
natives  themselves  and  others  (teachers)  who  were  here  at  the 
time,  illustrative  of  their  normal  condition,  I  could  give  in 
abundance ;  stories  which  have  filled  me  with  horror  as  I 
have  listened  to  them.  All  these  show  the  difficulty  of  the 
task  undertaken  by  Mr.  Brown  and  those  who  came  with 
him. 

"  When  one  walks  about  the  island  and  suddenly  comes 
upon  a  place  where  evidently  there  was  once  some  kind  of 


400  GEORGE    BROWN 

settlement,  and  is  informed  by  his  guide  that  formerly  there 
resided  on  that  spot  a  thriving  people,  but  all  at  once  they 
were  exterminated  by  their  foes,  who  ate  their  remains  with 
the  greatest  possible  relish,  and  then  think  of  the  present 
time — how  that  men  from  villages  formerly  hostile  now  mix 
freely  unharmed,  without  any  apprehension  of  danger,  only 
then  can  one  understand  the  change  which  has  taken  place  in 
their  social  condition.  If  we  think  of  the  transformation 
which  has  taken  place  in  the  lives  of  some  of  these  people,  then 
it  is  that  we  more  thoroughly  understand  what  has  been  done — 
thirty-two  baptized  converts,  all  living  consistent  Christian 
lives,  some  of  them  preaching  to  their  fellow-countrymen 
the  good  news  of  salvation,  form  a  fitting  and  a  glorious 
conclusion  to  the  faithful  missionary  labours  of  our  brother 
who  is  about  to  leave  us.  Some  more  will  be  baptized  to- 
morrow, and  others  are  candidates  for  Church  membership 
and  will  be  baptized  (D.V.)  next  year.  Thus  the  work  is 
spreading  out  on  every  hand,  and  I  venture  to  prophesy 
that,  if  we  are  faithful  to  our  trust,  and  the  Lord  smiles 
upon  our  efforts  in  the  future  as  He  has  in  the  past,  in  two 
years  from  this  the  Duke  of  York  will  belong  to  our  Saviour 
in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term. 

"  None  may  again  know  and  experience  in  these  islands 
the  trial  both  of  health  and  patience,  the  difficulty  of  travel 
and  first  settlement,  and  all  the  attendant  dangers  of  this 
undertaking  as  known  and  experienced  by  Mr.  Brown  and 
his  followers  in  the  early  days  of  this  Mission.  Now  we 
journey  along  a  known  coast,  and  are  received  by  the  people 
with  kindness — then  it  was  a  terra  incognita,  inhabited  by 
bloodthirsty  men  ;  now  we  have  teachers'  houses  in  which 
we  are  comfortably  lodged  at  night — then  it  was  either 
anchoring  off  an  unprotected  coast,  with  the  chance  of  being 
attacked  before  morning,  or  making  a  camp  on  the  beach, 
and  using  the  shingle  for  a  bed,  with  the  open  sky  for  a 
covering,  or  a  hammock  swung  to  a  tree  ;  now  we  have 
a  knowledge  of  the  laws,  customs,  and  language  of  the 


o   S 

12 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        401 

people,  which  is  available  for  all  succeeding  missionaries — 
then  all  had  to  be  done  ab  initio ;  now  we  have  a  lesson- 
book,  a  short  catechism,  the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Creed, 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  fourteen  hymns,  all  arranged  in 
order  in  one  neat  little  book,  printed  in  the  Duke  of  York 
dialect  of  the  language.  All  this  has  not  been  done  without 
a  considerable  amount  of  physical  and  mental  application. 

"  Over  300  miles  of  New  Britain  coast  has  been  seen  by 
him  in  our  mission  boats,  and  positions  noted  for  our  future 
occupation.  New  Ireland  has  twice  been  crossed,  and  150 
miles  of  its  coast-line  traversed  by  him,  before  any  other 
white  man  ventured  on  such  perilous  undertakings.  It  is 
easy  now  for  others  to  follow  where  he  has  been,  and  pooh- 
pooh  the  idea  of  danger,  as  some  of  them  do  ;  but  I  notice 
that  such  men  are  careful  not  to  go  far  beyond  their  own 
immediate  homesteads,  and  when  they  do  they  are  careful 
to  go  fully  armed.  Duke  of  York  itself  presented  not  a  few 
dangers  in  those  early  days.  A  Molot  man  would  just  as 
soon  have  thought  of  shooting  himself  as  going  to  Meoko.  There 
is  a  story  here  among  the  natives,  that  on  the  occasion  of 
Mr.  Brown's  first  visit  to  Meoko  he  took  several  chiefs  with 
him  from  different  parts  of  the  group.  The  steam  launch 
ran  upon  a  rock,  and  remained  there  for  some  little  time. 
One  of  these  chiefs  sat  down  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer 
and  wept,  and  could  not  be  induced  to  do  anything  towards 
getting  her  off  the  rock.  He  simply  rocked  himself  to  and 
fro,  exclaiming  :  'We  are  lost!  we  are  lost!  the  Meoko  people 
will  kill  and  eat  us  all.'  I  have  talked  with  this  man,  and 
without  any  hesitation  he  related  to  me  the  whole  circumstances 
over  again,  not  omitting  his  share  of  the  performance, 

"  Let  this  one  instance  serve  for  an  example  in  illustrating 
the  state  of  affairs  in  Maren,  Outam,  Waira,  Makada,  Blanche 
Bay,  Kabakada,  Kininigunan,  and  all  the  petty  little  villages, 
with  their  petty  little  chiefs,  and  petty  concerns  represented 
by  these  district  names — for  each  of  these  names  does  duty 
for  dozens  of  such — and  then  think  that  the  barriers  which 

26 


402  GEORGE    BROWN 

then  existed  between  town  and  town,  village  and  village, 
chief  and  chief,  district  and  district,  are  in  the  majority  of 
cases  swept  away  for  ever,  and  in  others  they  are  fast  giving 
place  to  more  enlightened  views.  Yesterday  I  saw  men 
from  almost  every  village  in  Duke  of  York  ;  men  from 
Kabakada,  Matupit,  and  Kininigunan,  New  Britain  ;  men 
from  Topaia,  and  Lauru,  New  Ireland  ;  in  all  about  500 
people,  sitting  together  in  Mr.  Brown's  yard,  assembled  there 
for  the  express  purpose  of  bidding  Mr.  Brown  good-bye. 
Not  a  dozen  weapons  were  to  be  seen,  except  what  were 
brought  by  them  to  Mr.  Brown  as  presents.  These  are 
sober  facts  which  speak  for  themselves,  with  a  trumpet-like 
voice  proclaiming  the  good  work  which  has  been  accomplished, 
and  the  new  and  better  state  upon  which  the  people  of 
these  islands  are  entering.  All  this  in  five  years !  Thank 
God  !  To  Him  be  all  the  glory,  who  has  thus  acknowledged 
and  honoured  the  labours  of  His  servants." 

A  few  days  later,  January  15,  1881,  Mr.  Banks  wrote 
an  account  of  the  meeting  to  which  he  alludes  in  the  closing 
paragraph  just  quoted.  This  letter,  which  appeared  in  The 
Weekly  Advocate  of  March  12,  contains  a  long  and  interesting 
account  of  the  meeting,  and  also  of  some  of  the  principal 
characters  who  took  part  in  it ;  but  I  only  give  the  following 
extracts,  as  showing  the  feelings  of  the  people  towards  us, 
and  our  relationship  to  them  in  the  closing  days  of  our  life 
amongst  them.  Mr.  Banks  says  : 

"  As  soon  as  it  became  known  to  the  Buke  of  Yorkites 
that  Mr.  Brown  was  in  truth  about  to  leave  them,  the  chiefs 
held  a  meeting,  and  it  was  then  and  there  decided  that  some- 
thing ought  to  be  done  to  convince  Mr.  Brown  that  they 
'  had  some  love  to  him,'  and  that  they  much  regretted  his 
departure  from  them.  Thus  far  they  were  agreed,  but  the 
next  question  was,  '  What  shall  we  do  to  show  our  love  ? ' 
Here  was  a  difficulty  ;  some  proposed  one  thing,  some 
another,  until  at  last  they  almost  got  into  a  hopeless  state  of 
confusion.  They  wanted  to  do  something  striking  and  grand, 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        403 

and  how  to  do  it  was  the  burning  question  of  the  day.  At 
last,  by  sheer  downright  hard  thinking,  assisted  by  much 
chewing  of  betel-nut,  and  such  condiments  as  '  daka  and 
kabag,'  and  also  a  few  hints,  it  was  decided  that  a  meeting 
should  be  held,  at  which  all  the  people  who  felt  so  inclined 
should  assemble  to  say  good-bye  to  the  missionary — '  Ba  I 
wan  kon  dat ' — who  was  about  to  leave  them.  Mr.  Brown 
fixed  the  day  on  which  he  would  meet  them,  and  from  that 
day  preparations  went  forward  right  merrily.  Snares  were 
set  and  pigs  caught,  and  then  conveyed  as  presents  to 
Mr.  Brown  ;  fowls  were  taken  in  the  net  and  served  in  the 
same  manner.  Trips  were  made  to  different  parts  of  the 
groups  to  purchase  food  and  presents  ;  also  to  spread 
the  news  that  on  such  and  such  a  day  the  people  would 
assemble  to  bid  Mr.  Brown  good-bye.  All  Duke  of  York 
knew  it ;  it  was  in  every  one's  mouth,  and  admiring  crowds 
stood,  round  each  present  of  a  pig  as  it  was  brought  and 
laid  before  Mr.  Brown,  each  (both  pig  and  people)  doing 
his  best  to  add  to  the  continued  noise  and  confusion  which 
has  prevailed  for  the  last  few  days. 

"...  At  last  the  long-looked-for  day  arrived.  The  morning 
was  rather  cloudy,  but  still  the  rain  kept  off,  and  altogether 
we  had  a  fine  day.  Early,  very  early,  on  Friday  morning, 
December  31,  1880,  we  heard  much  squealing  and  noise  all 
around  our  house,  which  assured  us  that  the  congenial  task, 
to  the  people,  of  .slaughtering  pigs  had  begun.  Then  much 
hurrying  to  and  fro,  calls  for  hot  water,  then  much  chopping 
of  wood,  speedily  followed  by  many  clouds  of  smoke  convinced 
us  that  short  work  was  being  made  of  that  part  of  the 
business.  If  '  many  hands  make  light  work,'  then  their  task 
was  light  enough  ;  moreover,  their  hearts  were  in  it,  and 
pigs  at  the  end  of  it.  At  about  12  o'clock  the  people  began 
to  assemble,  and  soon  the  meeting  began.  It  was  opened 
by  a  Fijian  '  meke,"  composed  for  the  occasion,  being  performed 
by  the  teachers.  .  .  . 

"  Among  the  assembly  were  not  a   few  real   live  Duke  of 


404  GEORGE    BROWN 

York  celebrities,  men  who  have  played  a  very  important  part 
both  in  the  history  of  the  island  and  our  work  here,  whose 
favour  it  was  necessary  to  secure  in  the  early  days  of  this 
mission ;  men  who  now  bewail  the  loss  of  '  the  good  old 
times '  when  they  could  not  go  past  their  own  doorstep  in 
safety  without  being  fully  armed,  when  young  men  gloried 
in  using  the  spear,  the  sling,  and  the  tomahawk,  when 
cannibal  feasts  were  rife,  and  no  man  needed  to  be  ashamed 
of  having  killed  his  neighbour — men,  the  last  of  their  kind 
on  Duke  of  York,  who  are  fast  passing  away.  .  .  . 

"  At  the  conclusion  of  the  Fijian  '  meke '  Mr.  Brown 
addressed  the  assembled  multitude  in,  as  near  as  I  can 
remember,  the  following  words  :  'You  men  of  Kinawanua, 
Molot,  and  all  places  on  Duke  of  York,  also  you  from  New 
Britain  and  New  Ireland,  listen  to  my  words  this  day.  My 
heart  is  full  of  love  towards  you  all,  and  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  sitting  together  to-day.  I  remember  that  formerly  you 
did  not  assemble  yourselves  together  thus.  I  remember  that 
formerly  you  had  very  little  love  to  each  other.  I  see  some- 
thing new  and  good  to-day  in  your  conduct,  and  I  am  glad. 
I  thank  you  for  the  love  you  have  shown  to  me  in  thus 
coming  to  say  good-bye.  My  word  to  you  is,  don't  forget  me 
when  I  am  gone  from  you.  I  shall  never  forget  you,  and 
will  always  pray  to  Him  who  made  us  all,  and  ask  Him  to 
give  you  all  good  things.  Don't  forget  the  "lotu,"  and  all  it 
has  done  for  you.  We,  God's  servants,  are  here  from  love 
to  you.  We  do  not  come  to  you  and  ask  you  to  sell  us 
your  lands,  your  copra,  and  your  goods ;  but  we  ask  you 
to  be  good  to  each  other,  and  serve  in  truth  your  God,  and  love 
your  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.  All  you  people,  think  of  the  past, 
how  you  used  to  fight  each  other,  and  now  you  sit  together  in 
peace  without  fear.  Think,  do  not  forget,  how  we  have  tried 
to  teach  you  all  to  be  better  men  and  women.  I  hope  God  will 
always  be  with  you,  and  make  you  glad  in  your  hearts  by 
teaching  you  to  walk  in  the  good,  straight  road.  I  desire  to  see 
you  all  in  heaven  ;  be  good,  do  good  and  we  shall  meet  there.' 


THIRD   TERM   OF    RESIDENCE        405 

"When  Mr.  Brown  sat  down  Waruwarum  sprang  up  and 
shouted  out  from  the  other  end  of  the  ground  :  '  Misa  Brown, 
you  are  going  from  us — we  are  sorry  for  ourselves.  Think 
of  us  with  pity  to-day.  Misa  Brown,  you  have  loved  us  all 
here  at  Kinawanua  and  Molot.  Our  hearts  are  heavy  to-day. 
We  are  afraid  because  our  enemies  will  now  think  we  are 
weak,  and  will  make  war  upon  us  as  in  the  former  days. 
Misa  Brown,  you  are  going  away,  and  our  hearts  are  heavy. 
Misa  Brown,  we  will  not  forget  you  and  your  love  to  us. 
It  is  I  who  say  it — we  are  sorry  you  are  leaving  us.' 

"  Nothing  now  remained  to  be  done  but  to  serve  out 
the  food,  which  was  quickly  done  by  the  teachers,  and 
all  went  away  quite  satisfied,  each  carrying  away  some 
thing  from  the  feast  which  his  own  generosity  had  helped  to 
furnish. 

"  This  meeting  must  ever  remain  in  our  memories  as  a 
unique  one.  We  may  hold  others  when  other  missionaries 
retire  from  the  field,  but  this  is  the  first,  and  is  invested  with 
an  interest  peculiar  to  itself.  That  from  400  to  500  people 
assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  group  simply  to  say  good- 
bye to  Mr.  Brown  is  a  pleasing  fact,  by  far  surpassing  the 
most  sanguine  anticipations  of  our  most  sanguine  brother  who 
has  just  gone  from  us." 

We  left  New  Britain  in  the  mission  schooner  John  Hunt, 
on  January  4,  1881.  There  was  naturally  great  excitement 
as  we  went  on  board,  and  we  were  all  of  us,  I  think,  very  glad 
when  we  were  fairly  out  to  sea.  I  could  not  help  contrasting 
the  difference  in  the  people,  as  manifested  by  their  sorrow  at 
our  departure,  with  the  indifference  with  which  they  treated 
us  on  our  first  arrival  amongst  them.  For  many  months  after 
the  commencement  of  our  Mission  I  scarcely  dared  to  hope  that 
we  would  see  the  triumphs  of  the  Gospel,  which  were  so  evident 
in  Fiji  and  our  older  districts,  repeated  in  New  Britain.  But 
God  had  been  very  good  to  us,  better  than  all  our  boding  fears, 
and  we  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  feeling,  as  the  shores  of 


406  GEORGE    BROWN 

New  Britain  receded  from  us,  that  we  had  not  laboured  in  vain 
nor  spent  our  strength  for  nought. 

Our  party  consisted  of  my  wife  and- 1  and  one  child,  the 
remains  of  the  other  two  of  our  much-loved  children  being 
left  behind  in  a  little  cemetery  on  the  shore  of  Port  Hunter. 
Then  we  had  Peni  Lelei,  his  wife  and  child  ;  and  Timot,  a 
native  of  New  Britain,  who  was  going  with  us  for  the  purpose 
of  helping  in  translation  work.  We  had  also  Itione  and  wife, 
a  Samoan  couple  who  came  with  us  from  that  district.  The 
John  Hunt  was  not  at  all  a  comfortable  vessel  for  such  a 
large  party,  as  she  was  only  a  small  schooner  used  for  inter- 
island  work  in  Fiji.  Captain  Martin,  however,  did  all  he  could 
to  make  us  comfortable,  and  we  had  a  fairly  good  passage  to 
Sydney,  at  which  port  we  arrived  on  February  2,  just  before 
the  closing  sessions  of  the  New  South  Wales  and  Queensland 
Conference  of  that  year.  I  was  able  to  be  present  at  them, 
and  received  a  very  kind  and  hearty  reception  from  my 
brethren. 

Our  home-coming  was  saddened  by  the  information  of  the 
serious  illness  of  our  brother-in-law,  the  late  Rev.  W.  Fletcher, 
B.A.,  who  had  always  taken  a  very  deep  interest  in  our  work, 
and  who  with  his  wife  and  some  of  their  children  accompanied 
us  on  our  pioneer  voyage  in  1875. 

As  soon  as  we  were  settled  I  began  the  work  of  translating 
one  of  the  Gospels  into  the  Duke  of  York  language.  I  was 
very  anxious  indeed  that  this  should  be  done,  not  only  for  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  the  people  to  whom  it  would  be  sent,  but 
also  as  recording  the  results  of  our  first  studies  of  the  language. 
I  found  Peni  very  useful  in  this  work.  He  had,  fortunately, 
some  knowledge  of  English,  and  was  also  remarkably  quick  and 
intelligent.  It  was  a  great  joy  to  me  when  this  translation  of 
the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark,  the  first  one  which  had  ever  been 
made  into  any  of  the  languages  or  dialects  of  New  Britain, 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  and  it  was  also  a  great  joy 
to  me  to  receive  from  teachers  and  others  testimonies  as  to 
its  value.  Some  years  afterwards  when  I  revisited  New  Britain 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        407 

I  was  delighted  to  hear  men  and  women  and  boys  and  girls 
reading  the  wondrous  story  of  God's  love  contained  in  that 
Gospel  as  fluently  as  we  ourselves  can  read  our  own  Bibles. 
I  gratefully  remembered  that  only  a  few  years  before  the 
alphabet  of  that  language  had  never  been  written,  nor  had  the 
Gospel  ever  been  preached  amongst  those  people,  and  I  felt 
very  thankful  to  God  that  He  in  His  infinite  love  had  privileged 
me  to  take  some  part  in  that  great  work. 

My  time  in  Australia  was  fully  taken  up,  not  only  in 
translation  work,  but  also  in  very  extensive  deputation  work, 
in  several  colonies.  Our  people  were  naturally  anxious  to  know 
the  particulars  of  our  Mission,  and  as  I  had  a  fine  colleague 
in  the  person  of  Peni  Lelei,  we  were  always  kept  hard 
at  work. 

In  May  1881  I  attended  the  General  Conference,  which  was 
held  in  Adelaide  that  year,  and  which  will  always  be  associated 
with  the  sad  death  of  the  late  Rev.  J.  Waterhouse  and  son, 
Revs.  J.  B.  Richardson  and  J.  Armitage,  and  Messrs.  E.  Mitchell 
.  and  E.  Connall,  representatives  from  New  Zealand,  who  were 
drowned   in  the  wreck  of  the   Tararua  on   their   way   to   the 
Conference.     At  this  Conference  the  question  of  the  propriety 
or  otherwise  of  the  action  we  had  been  compelled  to  take  in 
New  Britain  was   again    under   consideration.     I    was   not,   of 
course,  put  on  my  trial  in  any  way,  but  it  was  felt  by  some 
that    I    had   a   right   to   ask   the   General    Conference,    which 
represents  the  whole  of  our  Church,  for  an  expression  of  its 
views,  and  that  the  Conference  had  either  to  censure  or  express 
their  approval.     I  stated  in  reply  that  I  then  thought  it  right 
that    I    should   know   whether    I   had   the   confidence    of    the 
Conference  or  not.     I  had  up  to  that  time  been  content  quietly 
to  suffer,  and  felt  that  I  had  not  said  enough  in  defence  of  the 
course  which  we  had  pursued.     I  had  a  very  kind  reception  by 
the  Conference  when  I  rose  to  give  them  a  plain,  unvarnished 
statement  of  the  case.     I  fully  commended  those  who  differed 
from  me  for  the  frank  expression  of  their  views.     I  stated  that  I 
was  quite  aware  that  I  had  laid  myself  open  to  criticism,  and  that 


4o8  GEORGE    BROWN 

it  was  quite  right  that  I  should  be  criticised.  I  maintained  that 
I  had  not  committed  an  error  of  judgment,  nor  had  I  pursued 
a  policy  of  retaliation.  I  said  that  a  great  many  people  had 
told  me  what  I  ought  not  to  have  done,  but  that  no  one  had 
ever  yet  told  me  what  I  should  have  done  in  the  circumstances 
in  which  we  were  placed,  and  I  asked  any  of  my  critics  to  be 
kind  enough  to  tell  me  then.  I  told  the  Conference  that  the 
only  alternative  of  the  action  we  had  taken  was  that  I  should 
have  taken  care  of  myself  and  my  family,  and  the  few  people 
around  us  on  the  mission  station  at  Port  Hunter,  and  have  left  the 
teachers,  their  wives  and  families,  and  the  few  white  men  and 
one  white  woman  on  New  Britain,  to  be  murdered  in  detail 
by  a  set  of  savages  who  had  never  even  heard  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ ;  and  I  asked  whether  they  would  have  commended 
me  if  I  had  done  so.  I  stated  that  had  I  pursued  the  only 
other  policy  which  was  practicable  I  would  have  been  ashamed 
ever  to  stand  before  the  Conference,  or  before  any  other  body 
of  my  fellow-countrymen,  and  that  my  children  would  have  had 
reason  to  blush  when  their  father's  name  was  mentioned.  I 
then  gave  the  details  of  our  expedition,  which  I  need  not  repeat 
here. 

The  Conference  ultimately  passed  the  following  resolution  : 
"  That  this  Conference  has  heard  with  deepest  regret  the  Mission 
Secretary's  account  of  the  New  Britain  massacre  and  the 
expedition  which  followed  it,  and  hereby  expresses  its  tenderest 
sympathy  with  the  Rev.  G.  Brown  in  his  great  peril  in  that 
massacre,  and  his  embarrassment  in  having  to  provide  so 
suddenly  the  needed  adequate  means  for  the  safety  of  the 
mission  party.  From  the  evidence  now  before  us,  and  which 
we  have  carefully  examined,  it  fully  appears  to  us  that  in  the 
judgment  of  the  natives  themselves  Mr.  Brown  acted  justly, 
and  while  reaffirming,  in  view  of  the  wide  discussion  which  is 
being  carried  on  in  reference  to  this  case,  the  principle  which 
underlies  all  our  missionary  operations,  that  military  enterprises 
cannot  be  sanctioned  in  their  conduct,  it  records  its  judgment 
that  in  the  present  case  Mr.  Brown  acted  in  defence  of  the 


THIRD    TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        409 

mission  teachers  and  their  families,  and  has  not  violated  the 
regulations  of  our  missionary  work,  and  retains  the  full 
confidence  of  this  Conference."  This  was,  of  course,  quite 
satisfactory,  and  as  it  assured  me  of  the  continued  con- 
fidence of  my  brethren,  it  enabled  me  to  continue  my  work 
in  the  advocacy  of  the  claims  of  our  missions  upon  the 
sympathies  and  support  of  our  Methodist  Churches. 

A  few  months  after  this  Conference  the  Missionary  Society 
had  to  deplore  the  loss  of  the  Rev.  B.  Chapman,  the  General 
Secretary  of  the  Society,  on  September  10.  I  was  deeply 
grieved  when  I  saw  the  notice  in  the  Sydney  Morning  Herald 
of  Monday,  September  12,  that  one  whom  I  had  learned  to 
respect  and  love  during  the  years  in  which  he  had  so  ably  filled 
the  office  of  General  Secretary,  had  been  called  away  so 
suddenly.  I  was  naturally  brought  into  very  close  association 
with  Mr.  Chapman  during  the  inception  of  the  New  Britain 
Mission,  and  during  the  whole  of  the  time  we  lived  in  that 
group.  I  always  found  him  not  only  willing,  but  anxious,  to 
assist  us  to  the  full  extent  of  his  power,  and  during  the  time 
of  my  serious  illness  in  Sydney  he  manifested  the  deepest 
sympathy,  and  did  all  that  was  in  his  power  to  help  me.  I 
was  closely  associated  with  him  and  the  Rev.  W.  Clarke  in 
the  deputation  to  Tonga,  and  I  well  remember  the  great 
kindness  which  he  manifested  towards  me  in  Fiji  a  few 
weeks  afterwards.  I  thoroughly  endorse  some  remarks  in  the 
notice  of  his  death,  that,  "  he  was  an  efficient  manager  of  the 
business  immediately  connected  with  his  office,  and  his  general 
disposition  secured  him  many  friends."  Amongst  the  number 
of  these  it  was  my  great  privilege  to  be  included.  The  President 
of  the  Conference  decided,  at  the  request  of  the  Board  of 
Missions,  to  act  as  Missionary  Secretary  until  the  Conference, 
and  I  was  then  appointed  to  assist  him  in  conducting  the  affairs 
of  the  office.  I  little  thought  that  a  few  years  later  I  should 
be  called  upon  to  occupy  the  position  which  I  have  now  held 
for  twenty-one  years. 

I  continued  in  deputation  work  until  the  Conference  of  1883, 


410  GEORGE    BROWN 

when  I  received  an  invitation  from  the  Bourke  Street  Circuit  to 
accept  an  appointment  as  second  minister,  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Rev.  W.  Clarke.  This  came  as  a  complete 
surprise  to  me,  and  I  naturally  felt  great  diffidence  in  accepting 
the  invitation  to  such  a  large  and  important  circuit  as  Bourke 
Street  was  in  those  days.  I  have  never  forgotten  the  kindness 
with  which  I  was  received  both  by  ministers  and  people.  In 
1884  I  was  appointed  by  the  Conference,  on  an  invitation  from 
the  Quarterly  Meeting,  to  the  superintendency,  and  I  continued 
there  until  the  completion  of  the  full  term  in  1886.  I  had 
already  decided,  before  the  completion  of  my  term  of  service 
in  this  the  first,  and  as  it  proved  to  be  the  only  home  circuit 
to  which  I  was  ever  appointed,  to  visit  England,  and  this  I 
did  the  same  year,  leaving  Sydney  in  the  Mariposat  Cap- 
tain Hayward,  on  April  22,  1884.  We  had  a  large  company 
on  board,  including  General  Fremantle,  the  late  Sir  James 
Service  and  family,  and  the  late  Sir  Anthony  Musgrave, 
Governor  of  Queensland,  and  family.  My  travelling  com- 
panion was  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  H.  Fitchett,  ex-President  of  the 
General  Conference,  who  was  then  visiting  the  homeland  for 
the  first  time.  I  need  not  say  that  the  pleasure  of  my  journey 
to  my  native  land  after  thirty-one  years'  absence  was  much 
enhanced  by  the  genial  company  of  my  dear  friend.  I,  in 
common  with,  I  think,  all  on  board,  have  none  but  the  most 
pleasant  memories  of  our  voyage  to  San  Francisco.  We  called 
at  many  places  of  interest  on  our  journey  across  the  American 
continent,  and  in  due  time  reached  England.  I  had  a  very 
kind  reception  at  the  Mission  House,  especially  from  the  late 
Revs.  Dr.  Kilner  and  Dr.  Jenkins,  who  did  all  in  their  power 
to  make  my  stay  as  pleasant  as  possible. 

My  first  public  introduction  to  British  Methodism  was  at  the 
Conference  Missionary  Meeting,  which  was  held  that  year  (1886) 
in  Great  Queen  Street  Church,  London.  I  was,  of  course,  not 
known  to  any  of  the  large  audience,  and  I  fancy  very  few  of 
them  knew  that  there  was  such  a  place  in  the  world  as  New 
Britain.  There  were  six  speakers,  and  Dr.  Kilner  had  warned 


THIRD   TERM    OF    RESIDENCE        411 

us  very  emphatically  that  no   speaker  was    to   exceed  twenty 
minutes  ;   so  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  that  the  two 
gentlemen  who  preceded   me   each   occupied   at   least   half  an 
hour.     When  I    was  called  upon,  I  utilised  my   time,  without 
any    preliminary   remarks,   by  giving  an   account  of  our   first 
landing  in  New  Britain,  and  some  of  the  incidents   connected 
with    our    first   year's    work.        It    was    soon    very    apparent 
that  many  in  the  audience  were  deeply  interested.     I  was  in 
the  midst  of  telling  them  one  of  the  most  exciting  incidents 
connected  with  our  mission,  when  Waruwarum  wished  to  take 
one   of  his   wives   from    under   our   care   for    the    purpose   of 
cooking  her,  to  which  proceeding  we  strongly  objected,  when  I 
noticed  that  my  allotted  time  had  expired.     I  stopped  suddenly, 
and  stated  that  I  must  defer  the  completion  of  my  story  till 
some  other  time.     There  was  at  once  great  excitement  in  the 
audience,  and  cries  from  all  parts  for  me  to  "  go  on  "  ;  and  the 
President,  who  occupied  the  chair,  asked  me  to  do  so.     I  rose, 
however,  and  said  that  I  had  done  the  best  I  could  do  in  the 
time  allotted  to  me,  and  declined  to  take  from  the  succeeding 
speakers  the  time  which  was  justly  theirs.     I  sat  down,  but  had 
to  rise  again  at  the  request  of  the  President.     I  did  not  resume 
my   story,  but  simply    told    the    audience    that    I    was    from 
Australia ;    that    we    in    Australia  were    accustomed   to   obey 
orders  ;  and  that  I  intended  to  obey  those  which  I  had  received 
in  England.     I  felt  afterwards  that  I  perhaps  made  too  sweeping 
an  assertion  in  one  of  these  latter  statements,  and  for  this  I  must 
pray  to  be  forgiven.     The  meeting  was,  however,  a  very  good 
introduction,  and  during  the  next  few  days  I  had  many  requests 
from  the  brethren  who  were  gathered  to  the  Conference  from 
all  parts  of  England  to  visit  them  in  their  Circuits. 

I  visited  my  native  town  and  had  a  very  kind  reception 
from  many  who  knew  and  loved  my  father,  and  who  also 
remembered  me  in  the  earlier  years  of  my  life.  I  preached  in 
the  Wesleyan  Chapel  on  the  Sunday  morning  to  a  large  con- 
gregation, in  which  several  denominations  were  included,  and 
in  the  evening  I  preached  to  a  similar  congregation  in  the 


4i2  GEORGE    BROWN 

Brown  Memorial  Church,  erected  to  the  memory  of  my  late 
father. 

During  the  few  months  which  I  spent  in  England  I  visited 
some  of  our  principal  Circuits,  and  also  gave  several  addresses 
in  London.  Many  kind  things  were  said  to  me  in  the  different 
places  which  I  visited,  but  at  this  time  I  only  remember  some 
remarks  made  by  the  late  Rev.  T.  Champness,  which  I  have 
always  considered  to  be  the  highest  compliment  I  ever  received. 
He  was  a  good  man,  and  the  story  which  I  was  privileged 
to  tell  to  him  and  his  large  family  was  always  remembered 
by  them,  and  some  time  afterwards  we  received  from  the 
Joyful  News  Mission  one  of  their  best  workers,  who  for  some 
years  was  supported  by  them  in  New  Ireland. 

I  left  England  in  December,  and  returned  by  way  of  America, 
in  accordance  with  some  promises  which  I  had  made  when 
passing  through  that  country.  I  visited  some  of  the  principal 
cities,  and  then  went  to  Montreal,  where  I  was  very  kindly 
received  by  the  late  S.  Finley,  Esq.,  and  his  family.  During  my 
stay  in  that  city  it  was  my  great  privilege  to  meet  the  great 
Dr.  Douglas,  of  the  Wesleyan  Theological  College,  and  also  to 
address  the  students  there.  I  need  not  give  the  particulars  of 
the  return  journey,  though  it  was  full  of  interest  to  me,  visiting, 
as  I  did,  some  of  the  places  in  Canada  where  I  had  lived  when 
quite  a  young  man  some  thirty-five  years  before.  The  town 
in  which  I  lived  was,  at  that  time,  quite  a  backwoods  township  ; 
but  now  I  found  it  to  be  a  large  city,  and  I  could  scarcely 
recognise  a  single  feature  of  the  place. 

I  travelled  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  in  mid-winter. 
This  might  be  considered  a  trying  experience  to  one  who  had 
spent  so  many  years  of  his  life  in  the  tropics ;  but  I  thoroughly 
enjoyed  the  whole  of  the  journey,  though  we  had  to  face  a 
blizzard  of  exceptional  severity,  which  delayed  us  at  one  place 
on  the  prairies  for  at  least  three  days,  and  which  also  occasioned 
great  loss  of  life  in  the  districts  through  which  we  travelled. 
The  thermometer  registered  45  degrees  below  zero  during  the 
time  we  were  icebound  at  Swift  Current  Station,  and  the  wind 


8!! 


H     ^ 


THIRD   TERM   OF   RESIDENCE        413 

was  travelling  at  the  rate  of  41  miles  per  hour.  The  extreme 
cold  in  Canada  can  be  easily  borne,  and  even  enjoyed,  so  long 
as  the  weather  is  calm  and  clear,  but  extreme  cold  with  strong 
winds  is  not  at  all  pleasant.  At  Swift  Current  Station  some  of 
the  passengers  in  the  train  came  and  asked  me  if  I  would  give 
them  a  lecture  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the  situation.  This  I 
readily  agreed  to  do.  We  went  into  a  large  building  which  had 
been  erected  for  the  use  of  the  gangs  of  men  who  were  trying  to 
clear  the  track  of  snow  and  ice.  There  were  two  large  stoves  in 
the  room,  which  were  red  hot,  but  the  cold  was  so  intense  that 
the  people  present  could  not  remain  on  the  seats  for  any  length 
of  time,  and  most  of  them  soon  stood  in  two  clusters  close 
to  the  stoves.  I  lectured  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half  on  New 
Britain,  a  country  where  there  was  no  winter,  and  where  the 
clothing  of  the  people  often  consisted  only  of  a  string  of  beads. 
I  received  very  hearty  thanks,  and  next  morning  the  few  traders 
who  were  living  near  the  station  brought  me  presents  of 
mocassins,  belts,  etc.,  made  by  the  Blackfeet  Indians,  in  whose 
territory  we  then  were.  We  reached  Vancouver  several  days 
late,  and  I  was  afraid  that  I  should  not  reach  San  Francisco 
in  time  to  catch  the  out-going  boat  to  Australia.  I  had  to 
proceed  by  steamer  from  Vancouver  to  San  Francisco.  On 
my  arrival  at  the  latter  port  I  was  delighted  to  find  that  the 
vessel  had  been  detained  several  days  waiting  for  the  mails, 
which  had  been  delayed  by  heavy  snow  storms. 

On  reaching  Auckland  in  the  Mariposa  I  found,  to  my  great 
surprise,  that  I  had  been  appointed  by  the  New  South  Wales 
and  Queensland  Conference  to  the  position  of  General  Secretary 
of  Missions.  Whilst  I  felt  very  grateful  for  this  honour, 
especially  as  the  election  had  taken  place  during  my  absence  in 
England,  and  without  any  solicitation  on  my  part,  I  felt  very 
deeply  the  great  responsibility  which  the  position  imposed  upon 
me.  I  determined,  however,  that,  by  God's  help,  the  experience 
and  knowledge  which  I  had  acquired  during  the  years  of  my 
mission  life  should  be  consecrated  to  His  service  in  the  new 
office  to  which  I  was  appointed  by  my  brethren. 


4H  GEORGE    BROWN 

We  reached  Sydney  on  March  14,  1887,  and  I  had  again 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  my  dear  wife  and  children,  and  uniting 
together  in  thanks  to  God  for  His  goodness  to  them  and  to 
myself. 

I  took  over  the  business  of  the  Mission  Office  on  April  7, 
1887,  from  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Kelynack,  who  retired  from  the 
position  on  account  of  health.  It  was,  I  felt,  no  light  task  to 
succeed  a  man  so  eminently  gifted  and  of  such  high  standing  in 
our  Church  as  Dr.  Kelynack  was.  In  addition  to  the  regular 
work  of  the  Mission  Office  at  that  time,  the  position  involved 
very  extensive  deputation  work  in  all  the  States,  and  this, 
of  course,  necessitated  long  absences  from  home.  This  was  only 
rendered  possible  by  the  valuable  help  of  the  late  Rev.  J.  B. 
Waterhouse,  who  not  only  relieved  me  from  most  of  the  work  in 
connection  with  the  accounts,  but  was  also  always  ready  to  take 
charge  of  the  office  during  my  long  absences  on  deputation 
work.  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  services  which  were 
rendered  to  the  Missionary  Society  and  myself  by  Mr.  Water- 
house  during  all  the  earlier  years  of  my  work  as  General 
Secretary.  He  was  a  kind  and  loving  friend,  and  I  could 
always  depend  upon  the  help  of  his  wise  counsel  and  advice 
in  any  difficulty  which  I  had  to  encounter.  He  never  spared 
himself  in  his  endeavours  to  carry  on  the  business  of  the 
Mission  Office,  and  I  always  felt  that  the  help  which  he  so 
freely  rendered  was  considered  by  him  as  a  privilege  conferred 
upon  him.  The  years  of  our  friendship  were  amongst  the  very 
brightest  of  my  experiences. 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS 


IX 
TONGAN    AFFAIRS 

SOON  after  my  appointment  as  General  Secretary  the  troubles 
in  Tonga  became  very  acute.  I  have  a  large  amount  of  material 
connected  with  that  matter  in  my  possession,  and  I  think  at  some 
future  time  the  whole  story  should  be  told,  as  an  act  of  simple 
justice  to  the  noble  men,  women,  and  children  who  remained 
faithful  to  the  Methodist  Church  in  spite  of  the  cruel  persecutions 
to  which  they  were  subjected.  I  here  simply  give  a  few  facts, 
and  a  short  account  of  my  appointment  as  special  commissioner 
to  Tonga,  and  my  experiences  whilst  occupying  that  position. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  the  troubles  in 
Tonga  which  eventuated  in  the  secession  of  1885.  There  is 
little  doubt,  however,  that  prior  to  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton's  visit 
to  England  in  1878,  Mr.  Baker  had  become  very  jealous  of  Mr. 
Moulton's  influence  with  the  people,  and  of  his  close  friendship 
with  King  George,  and  that  he  did  his  best  during  Mr.  Moulton's 
absence  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  King,  and  as  far  as 
possible  to  make  it  apparent  that  his  own  services  were  indis- 
pensable to  his  Majesty. 

In  1874  the  Tonga  Home  Mission  and  Contingent  Fund  was 
formed,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  Tongan  Govern- 
ment and  the  District  Meeting.  This  was  approved  of  by  the 
Conference  of  1875,  and  also  by  the  General  Conference;  and 
the  decision  must  evidently  have  satisfied  the  King,  as  in  the 
following  year  he  signed  a  lease  granting  to  four  trustees  for  a 
term  of  ninety-nine  years  the  properties  then  occupied  by 
the  Wesleyan  Church. 

417  27 


4i8  GEORGE    BROWN 

In  1879  complaints  reached  the  Mission  Board  of  certain 
objectionable  actions  done,  it  was  asserted,  by  Mr.  Baker's 
authority,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  amount  of  missionary 
contributions  in  Tonga.  A  deputation  was  sent  to  Tonga  to 
investigate  the  matter,  and,  as  a  result  of  the  report  given,  Mr. 
Baker  was  recalled  by  the  Conference  of  1880,  and  received 
permission  to  rest  for  one  year  and  to  reside  in  New  Zealand. 
This  action  greatly  displeased  King  George,  and  he  forwarded 
a  letter  to  the  Conference  requesting  that  the  Tongan  Church 
should  no  longer  be  subject  to  the  Board  of  Missions,  but  that 
it  should  be  an  independent  District,  responsible  direct  to  the 
Conference,  as  the  Districts  in  the  colonies  were,  and  promising 
that  Tonga  would  then  support  the  European  missionaries  and 
other  agents,  without  being  dependent  upon  the  Missionary 
Society  for  any  pecuniary  help. 

At  the  Conference  of  1881  Mr.  Baker  appeared  to  answer 
the  charges  the  Board  of  Missions  formulated  against  him. 
The  result  was  that  he  was  asked  to  resign,  and  after  considera- 
tion he  sent  in  his  resignation,  which  was  accepted  by  the 
Conference  ;  and  the  record  appears  in  the  Minutes  of  Con- 
ference that,  "  S.  W.  Baker,  having  accepted  office  under  the 
Tongan  Government,  voluntarily  retires  from  our  work."  At 
this  same  Conference  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Watkin,  who  was  then 
Chairman  of  the  Tongan  District,  was  appointed  to  a  colonial 
circuit,  and  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  was  appointed  as  Chairman 
of  that  District.  This,  as  will  be  seen  afterwards,  very  much 
angered  the  King,  Mr.  Baker,  and  some  of  the  chiefs. 

At  the  General  Conference  which  was  held  in  Adelaide  some 
three  months  after,  the  recommendations  which  the  New  South 
Wales  Conference  had  made,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  request 
of  King  George  and  the  wishes  of  the  Tongan  District  Meeting, 
were  submitted  ;  and  it  was  resolved  :  "  That  the  recommenda- 
tions be  agreed  to,  and  that  from  and  after  December  31,  1881, 
the  Friendly  Islands  District  be  no  longer  under  the  Board  of 
Missions,  but  that  it  be  a  District  in  connection  with  the  New 
South  Wales  and  Queensland  Conference."  It  was  also  directed 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS  419 

that  a  suitable  letter  should  be  forwarded  to  the  King,  informing 
him  of  the  pleasure  the  General  Conference  had  in  acceding  to  his 
request.  The  conclusion  arrived  at,  it  was  thought,  would  be 
highly  gratifying  to  his  Majesty :  and  with  this  conviction  the 
Conference  closed  its  sittings  on  May  28.  At  the  close  of  this 
Conference  the  President  received  a  telegram  from  Mr.  Baker 
in  Auckland,  stating  that  the  King  and  chiefs  were  enraged  at 
Mr.  Watkin's  recall,  that  they  had  decided  to  establish  a  National 
Church,  and  to  get  Mr.  Watkin  as  the  first  minister  ;  that  the 
King's  ultimatum  was  that  Tonga  should  be  an  independent 
District  attached  to  New  Zealand  ;  and  that  Mr.  Watkin  should 
be  reinstated.  In  the  event  of  these  demands  not  being  complied 
with,  there  would  be  secession. 

As  it  was  known  in  Tonga  that  the  General  Conference  was 
finished  before  the  telegram  reached  Adelaide,  the  threatened 
secession  was  apparently  deferred  ;  and  in  the  meantime  Mr. 
Moulton  requested  permission  from  the  President  of  the  Con- 
ference to  agree  to  a  request  from  the  King  that  the  Rev.  J.  B. 
Watkin  should  remain  in  Tonga,  and  be  appointed  to  a  circuit, 
as  it  was  thought  that  this  concession  would  allay  trouble.  This 
was  agreed  to,  and  Mr.  Watkin  proceeded  to  his  appointment. 
The  policy  of  the  Government,  however,  assumed  an  aspect 
decidedly  antagonistic  to  our  Church  work. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1884  another  communication 
was  received  from  the  King,  and  the  resolutions  of  the  New 
South  Wales  and  Queensland  Conference  were  considered.  A 
minority  of  the  members,  amongst  whom  I  was  one,  urged  the 
Conference  most  earnestly  to  agree  to  the  King's  request,  and 
to  appoint  Mr.  Moulton  to  a  colonial  circuit  for  awhile.  We 
did  this,  not  because  we  considered  Mr.  Moulton  to  be  guilty 
of  the  charges  which  Mr.  Baker  had  made  against  him,  or 
because  we  justified  the  action  of  the  King  in  insisting  upon 
his  recall,  but  because  it  was  very  evident  to  us  that  under  the 
strained  relationships  which  existed  between  Mr.  Baker  and 
Mr.  Moulton  that  Mr.  Moulton  could  not  effectively  carry  on 
his  work.  We  also  believed,  from  our  personal  knowledge  of 


420  GEORGE    BROWN 

Mr.  Baker's  character,  and  the  position  which  the  King  had 
assumed,  that  secession  would  inevitably  follow  the  refusal  of 
the  request  preferred,  and  that  in  such  a  case  the  great  majority 
of  the  people  would  certainly  follow  their  King.  This  last 
opinion  was  not,  however,  shared  by  some  of  the  missionaries 
present,  but  subsequent  events  fully  justified  our  belief.  The 
General  Conference,  however,  decided  against  the  recall  of 
Mr.  Moulton,  but  appointed  a  strong  deputation,  consisting  of 
the  late  Revs.  John  Watsford,  Dr.  Langham  and  W.  T. 
Rabone,  to  visit  Tonga.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Mr.  Baker, 
taking  advantage  of  a  dispute  between  the  native  minister  at 
Haabai  and  some  of  the  stewards  with  regard  to  the  Church 
services  at  that  place,  decided  to  start  the  Free  Church.  This 
was  done  on  January  4,  1885.  The  recommendations  of  the 
deputation  were  practically  that  the  Tongan  District  should  be 
separate  from  New  South  Wales,  and  be  connected  with  the 
Victoria  and  Tasmania  Conference  ;  that  Mr.  Moulton  should 
be  appointed  to  a  circuit  in  New  South  Wales  ;  that  Mr.  Watkin 
be  allowed  to  withdraw  his  resignation,  and  to  remove  from 
Tonga  to  a  colonial  circuit.  It  was  this  last  recommendation 
that  Mr.  Baker  objected  to,  stating  that  the  King  would  never 
consent  to  Mr.  Watkin's  removal. 

The  question  of  the  removal  of  both  Mr.  Watkin  and  Mr. 
Moulton  from  Tonga,  and  their  appointment  to  colonial 
circuits,  was  really  the  great  difficulty  in  arriving  at  any 
satisfactory  settlement.  Mr.  Baker  and  the  King  were  resolved 
that  Mr.  Watkin  should  remain,  but  the  members  of  the 
deputation  felt  that  it  was  neither  fitting  nor  right  to  appoint 
as  chairman  of  the  District  a  minister  who  had  so  recently 
resigned  his  position  as  a  minister  of  the  Conference,  and  who, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  deputation,  could  have  prevented  the 
separation  altogether  if  he  had  earnestly  desired  to  do  so. 

The  report  of  the  deputation  was  considered  at  the  New 
South  Wales  Conference  of  1886,  together  with  a  letter  from 
the  Tonga  District  Meeting,  dated  November  1885.  That 
Conference,  whilst  recognising  the  ability  and  kindly  spirit 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  421 

with  which  the  members  of  the  deputation  had  sought  to 
accomplish  the  difficult  task  assigned  to  them,  declared  that 
as  the  quarterly  meetings  in  Tonga  and  the  annual  District 
Meeting  strongly  objected  to  the  transference  of  Tonga  to 
another  Conference,  no  change  should  for  the  present  be  made 
in  the  connection  of  Tonga  with  the  New  South  Wales  and 
Queensland  Conference  ;  and  that  we  should  not  withdraw  our 
agents  from  that  District.  It  also,  after  anxious  and  prayerful 
thought,  recorded  that,  in  view  of  the  very  decided  objections 
from  the  people  and  the  District  Meeting,  and  also  for  financial 
and  other  reasons,  it  was  compelled  to  dissent  from  the  recom- 
mendations in  the  report  of  the  deputation,  that  the  Rev.  J.  E. 
Moulton  should  be  removed  from  Tonga. 

In  1887  an  attempt  was  made  by  four  escaped  prisoners  to 
assassinate  the  Premier,  Mr.  S.  W.  Baker.  This  attack  took 
place  on  the  evening  of  Thursday,  January  13,  1887.  The 
assailants  did  not  succeed  in  their  attempt,  but,  most  unfor- 
tunately, Mr.  Baker's  son  and  daughter,  who  were  with  him  at 
the  time  in  the  buggy,  were  both  wounded,  the  latter  in  her 
attempt  to  shield  her  father  from  being  shot.  As  a  result  of 
this  attack,  not  only  did  the  Government  issue  orders  for  the 
men  in  Tongatabu  to  assemble  at  Mua,  but  the  King,  by  the 
advice  of  Mr.  Baker,  and  contrary  to  his  own  judgment,  sent 
for  men  from  Haabai  and  Vavau  to  come  armed  to  Tonga. 
The  arrival  of  these  men  was  signalised  by  the  indiscriminate 
plunder  of  Wesleyans  ;  and  in  many  cases  the  most  brutal  ill- 
treatment  accompanied  the  robbery.  A  number  of  the  people 
were  arrested  and  tried  for  the  attempted  assassination  of  Mr. 
Baker,  and  on  February  i  six  of  these  men  were  shot  on 
the  Island  of  Malinoa.  The  whole  story  of  this  attempt  at 
assassination,  the  trial  of  the  prisoners,  the  futile  attempt  made 
to  implicate  the  students  of  our  College  in  the  conspiracy,  the 
execution  on  Malinoa,  and  the  sad  sight  witnessed  there,  cannot 
be  told  here,  but  ought  to  be  placed  on  record. 

The  next  event  was  the  arrival  of  His  Excellency,  Sir 
Charles  Mitchell,  the  High  Commissioner  for  the  Western 


422  GEORGE    BROWN 

Pacific,  who  visited  Tonga  in  obedience  to  telegraphic  instruc- 
tions from  Sir  H.  Holland,  to  report  on  recent  disturbances  in, 
and  the  affairs  of,  Tonga.  His  Excellency  arrived  at  Nukualofa 
on  March  27,  1887,  and  after  a  most  exhaustive  inquiry 
left  for  Fiji  about  April  26.  His  report  was  presented  to  both 
Houses  of  Parliament  by  command  of  Her  Majesty,  in  July 
1887.  The  conclusions  which  His  Excellency  arrived  at  were, 
that  the  constitution  of  Tonga  had  been,  in  the  course  of  the 
recent  events,  utterly  set  aside,  and  the  King's  will  substituted 
therefor  ;  that  the  theory  and  system  of  worship  so  clearly 
laid  down  in  the  Constitution  had  been  practically  a  dead 
letter  from  the  moment  the  King  determined  to  support  the 
Free  Church  ;  that  the  statement  of  the  King  having  declared 
that  war  existed  at  Mua  was,  in  his,  Sir  Charles  Mitchell's 
opinion,  an  after-thought ;  that  neither  the  Cabinet,  Privy 
Council,  nor  the  Legislature  was  consulted  then  or  thereafter  ; 
that  the  King,  acting  on  Mr.  Baker's  advice,  was  alone 
responsible  for  all  that  followed  ;  that  although  there  were  no 
direct  proofs  that  either  of  them  encouraged  the  chiefs  in  their 
acts  of  lawlessness,  there  was  also  no  direct  proof  that  they 
exerted  themselves  to  repress  them.  His  Excellency  also 
stated :  "  I  should,  undoubtedly,  have  exercised  the  power 
vested  in  me,  under  the  Western  Pacific  Order  in  Council,  of 
prohibiting  Mr.  Baker  from  remaining  in  Tonga  for  a  period, 
had  it  not  been  that  I  felt  that  his  presence  with  the  King 
would,  after  the  warning  which  my  visit  to  Tonga  had  given,  be 
the  best  means  of  preserving  peace.  I  therefore  determined  on 
writing  to  the  King,  and  advising  him  at  once  to  take  steps 
to  reverse  his  former  action,  and  to  restore  to  the  Wesleyans 
their  religious  privileges  ;  also  to  take  steps  to  restrain  the 
action  of  the  chiefs  ;  and  I  decided  to  show  the  King  that  the 
retention  of  Mr.  Baker  in  Tonga  would  greatly  depend  on  what 
the  terms  of  the  answer  to  my  letter  should  be."  The  letter 
which  is  mentioned  above  was  sent  by  His  Excellency  to  the 
King  on  April  25,  and  on  the  26th  a  reply  was  received  from 
him  which  practically  accepted  all  the  suggestions  made. 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  423 

The  purport  of  this   letter  was   also  communicated  by  His 

Excellency  to  the   President   of  the    New  South   Wales  and 

Queensland  Conference,  and  in  his  unofficial  letter  he  directed 

attention  to  the  request  made  by  His  Majesty,  King  George, 

in  reply  to  a  letter  from  His  Excellency,  saying  that  "if  your 

Excellency  would  kindly  initiate  negotiations  with  the  Wesleyan 

Church  in   the   colonies   on   the   plan   proposed   by   the    New 

Zealand  Conference,  I  should  be  glad;  and  that  is  my  mind." 

His  Excellency  also  expressed  the  hope  "that  the  Committee 

will  take  such  steps  as  may  appear  to  tend  in  the  direction  of 

reuniting  the  Tongan  Wesleyans  to  the  mother   Society."     In 

another  part  he  says  that  his   "  object   is   to   see   whether  the 

Tongans    can    be   reunited   to   the    parent    Society,   and  that 

speedily."      He  also  expressed  the  opinion  that  "  the  present 

opportunity,  if  promptly  seized,   will  in   all  probability  afford 

the  best  chances  of  reunion  that  may  occur  for  years."      On 

receipt  of  this  communication  the  Committee  of  Privileges   of 

the  New  South  Wales  and  Queensland  Conference  was  convened, 

and  decided  that  a  deputation  consisting  of  the  President,  the 

Rev.  W.  G.  R.  Stephenson,  an  old  Tongan  missionary,  Mr.  P.  P. 

Fletcher,  and  myself,  should  visit  Tonga. 

In  accordance  with  these  instructions,  we  left  Sydney  on 
July  13,  1887.  The  President  returned  by  the  same  steamer. 
Mr.  Fletcher  and  I  remained,  and  had  many  meetings,  both 
formal  and  otherwise,  with  the  representatives  of  the  Free 
Church  and  our  own  people.  Our  report  was  considered  at 
the  Conference  of  1888,  and  a  series  of  resolutions  were  moved 
by  Rev.  J.  B.  Waterhouse,  to  the  effect  that  the  time  had  not 
yet  arrived  for  constituting  the  Wesleyan  Church  in  Tonga 
a  separate  and  independent  Conference,  and  that  the  unanimous 
desire  of  the  quarterly  meetings  in  Tonga  for  the  retention 
of  Mr.  Moulton  should  be  respected.  To  this  I  moved  an 
amendment,  to  the  effect  that  the  Conference  cannot  consent 
to  withdraw  from  Tonga,  or  abandon  our  people ;  that  it 
expresses  its  deep  sympathy  with  Mr.  Moulton,  but  that,  "in 
view  of  facts  which  have  been  presented  to  Conference,  that 


424  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  King  is  so  strongly  opposed  to  Mr.  Moulton's  continued 
residence  in  Tonga,  and  that  there  is  but  little  hope  of  his 
opposition  being  withdrawn,  or  of  this  grievous  wound  to  our 
Church  heing  healed,  so  long  as  Mr.  Moulton  remains  in  Tonga, 
the  Conference,  without  in  any  way  justifying  this  opposition, 
or  approving  of  the  actions  which  have  been  taken,  resolves  that 
the  recommendations  of  the  deputation  to  Tonga  of  the  last 
General  Conference  be  complied  with,  and  that  the  request  of 
the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  for  permission  to  return  to  the  colonies 
be  granted,  and  that  a  minister  be  appointed  who  shall 
devote  himself  to  the  work  of  reuniting  the  two  Churches,  arid 
promoting  peace  and  harmony  in  the  group."  The  amendment 
also  declared  that,  subject  to  certain  clearly  defined  conditions, 
the  General  Conference  be  requested  to  constitute  Tonga  an 
Annual  Conference,  in  connection  with  the  Australasian  General 
Conference. 

After  long  and  interesting  debates  the  first  two  amendments 
which  I  proposed  were  carried  unanimously,  but  those  proposing 
the  honourable  recall  of  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton,  with  a  view 
to  the  appointment  of  another  minister,  were  lost  by  74  to  31 
votes. 

At  the  General  Conference  held  in  Melbourne  in  May  1888 
the  difficulty  in  Tonga  was  fully  considered.  The  discussion 
thereon  excited  great  interest  throughout  the  country.  I  have 
never  known  the  sessions  of  any  General  Conference  to  be  so 
largely  attended  by  the  general  public  as  they  were  during  the 
discussion  of  this  difficult  question.  On  Monday  and  Tuesday, 
May  14  and  15,  the  body  of  the  church  behind  the  bar  of  the 
Conference  was  quite  full  of  interested  listeners,  and  the 
galleries  also  contained  a  large  number.  The  President  read 
a  letter  which  he  had  received  from  the  Premier  of  Tonga, 
presenting  to  the  General  Conference  a  request  from  His 
Majesty,  King  George,  that  the  Tonga  Free  Church  be 
acknowledged  as  an  independent  annual  Conference,  in  con- 
nection with  the  General  Conference  of  the  Wesleyan  Church, 
on  the  same  lines  as  New  Zealand  and  the  other  Con- 


COAST    SCENE,    TONGATABU. 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  425 

ferences.  The  letter  also  requested  the  removal  of  the 
Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  and  Rev.  E.  E.  Crosby,  B.A. 

I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  give  any  long  account  of  the 
speeches  made,  and  the  reasons  advanced  by  the  advocates 
of  the  respective  resolutions  and  amendments.  The  position 
was  a  very  critical  one,  as  the  General  Conference  appeared  to 
be  practically  divided  into  two  camps.  A  large  and  important 
section,  more  especially  in  the  New  Zealand,  and  Victoria  and 
Tasmania  Conferences,  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  action  of 
the  New  South  Wales  Conference  on  some  questions  of  its 
policy  with  regard  to  Tonga,  and  more  especially  to  the 
retention  of  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  ;  and  at  one  time  there 
appeared  to  be  considerable  danger  of  this  matter  causing 
a  breach  between  the  respective  Conferences. 

The  Rev.  G.  Lane  moved  the  resolutions  of  the  New  South 
Wales  Conference.  Mr.  J.  Callaghan  moved  a  series  of  amend- 
ments, which  were  afterwards  withdrawn  in  favour  of  other  amend- 
ments which  were  moved  by  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Fitchett.  The 
debate  which  followed  was  a  very  exciting  one.  The  conflict  of 
opinion  was  mainly  centred  on  the  question  of  the  continuance 
of  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  in  Tonga,  or  his  appointment  to  a 
circuit  in  the  home  work. 

Whilst  the  debate  was  in  progress  it  became  evident  to  all 
those  who  were  interested  in  the  preservation  of  peace  in  our 
Church  that  some  arrangement  should  be  made  which  would 
prevent  the  question  of  Mr.  Moulton's  removal,  or  otherwise, 
being  determined  by  a  vote  of  the  Conference,  as  such  a  vote 
would  inevitably  be  regarded  by  the  New  South  Wales  and 
Queensland  Conference  as  one  expressing  want  of  confidence 
in  their  administration  of  Tongan  affairs,  whilst  it  was  at  the 
same  time  apparent  that  a  large  number  of  the  members  of  the 
General  Conference  were  fully  persuaded  that  in  the  interests 
of  peace  some  change  should  be  made.  A  meeting  was  held 
on  the  subject,  and  when  the  debate  was  resumed,  the  Rev. 
J.  E.  Moulton  gave  an  address,  the  report  of  which  I  extract 
from  The  Weekly  Advocate  of  May  26,  as  it  was  principally  for 


426  GEORGE    BROWN 

the  reasons  adduced  by  Mr.  Moulton  that  my  appointment  was 
made  : 

"  The  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  then  said  it  was  a  very  great 
temptation  to  him  to  take  up  the  time  of  the  Conference  that 
afternoon  in  replying  to  the  personal  remarks,  and  in  repudi- 
ating the  many  charges  without  foundation  that  had  been  laid 
against  him.  However,  he  thought  in  the  present  state  of 
affairs  it  would  be  better  to  let  them  go  by,  and  live  them  down 
where  they  really  existed.  He  might  say,  in  examining  the 
amendment  of  Mr.  Fitchett,  it  struck  him  as  a  step  in  the  right 
direction.  He  did  not  agree  with  the  whole  of  it.  He  did  not 
agree  with  that  portion  referring  to  his  resignation.  He  dis- 
agreed with  that  in  toto.  He  should  not  have  been  unfavourable 
to  that  step  had  it  not  been  for  the  letter  of  Mr.  Shirley  Baker. 
It  would  be  proving  the  assertions  in  that  letter  if  he  consented 
to  do  so.  If  they  read  Sir  Charles  Mitchell's  report  they  would 
see  that  the  good  order  and  peace  of  Tonga  might  be  attribu- 
table to  him  (Mr.  Moulton).  He  liked  very  much  the  idea  of  that 
commission  which  the  amendment  proposed  to  appoint  to  be 
sent  to  Tonga.  The  amendment  also  recognised  that  the  wishes 
of  the  people  should  be  consulted,  and  that  they  should  not  be 
pledged  nolens  volens  to  the  Free  Church.  He  would  like  them 
to  understand  clearly  that  his  resistance  to  the  proposal  that  he 
should  withdraw  was  not  mere  '  stonewalling,'  as  some  of  them 
might  imagine.  Three  times  he  had  offered,  if  necessary,  to 
withdraw,  but  the  suggestion  had  not  been  acted  upon  ;  and 
twice  he  had  offered  to  do  so  if  the  Rev.  George  Brown  was  sent 
to  Tonga.  He  was  not  thinking  of  himself,  but  of  those  people 
who  had  stood  by  them,  and  had  shed  their  blood  on  behalf  of 
a  principle,  and  their  fidelity  to  the  Wesleyan  Church  ;  and  he 
should  never  be  a  party  to  any  vote  that  would  abandon  these 
people.  It  was  all  very  well  for  them  to  pass  resolutions  that 
they  should  not  abandon  the  people,  and  then  practically  to  do 
so.  He  was  convinced  that  there  was  no  one  in  this  Conference 
who  could  go  to  Tonga  and  do  the  work  except  Mr.  Brown.  In 
saying  this,  some  of  them  had  said  he  was  very  foolish,  as 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  427 

Mr.  Brown  was  regarded  in  Tonga  as  a  Bakerite.  But  he 
(Mr.  Moulton)  knew  Mr.  Brown  to  be  a  thorough  missionary, 
who  would  shepherd  his  people,  and  would  not  allow  their 
rights  to  be  taken  away.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  most  capable 
man,  and  though  it  would  require  another  Baker  to  deal  with 
that  gentleman — and  he  hoped  the  Lord  would  save  Mr.  Brown 
from  being  that — yet  Mr.  Baker  would  have  in  Mr.  Brown  one  of 
the  toughest  morsels  to  deal  with  that  ever  he  had.  So  that  he 
heartily  concurred  in  the  appointment  of  a  Commissioner  if  that 
officer  was  to  be  Mr.  Brown.  The  difficulty  in  reference  to 
Church  properties,  he  thought,  could  be  overcome  in  a  legal 
way,  and  he  would  undertake  to  hold  meetings,  that  all  opposition 
on  the  technical  grounds  would  be  swept  away.  Another  reason 
why  he  should  not  withdraw  was  that  for  many  years  he  had 
been  engaged  in  creating  a  literature  for  Tonga.  This  was 
apart  from  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  referred  to 
literature  of  an  instructive  and  educational  character.  If  they 
appointed  Mr.  Brown  as  the  Commissioner,  he  (Mr.  Moulton) 
could  retire  for  a  time  to  do  literary  work,  but  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  people  would  feel  that  he  still  belonged  to  them  ;  and 
the  next  Conference  could  then  decide  what  steps  should  be 
taken." 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Fitchett  then  said  he  would  withdraw  his 
amendment,  and  substitute  one  which  he  thought  would  meet 
with  the  approval  of  all,  and  on  the  lines  of  the  statement  made 
by  Mr.  Moulton.  The  amendment,  as  altered  by  Mr.  Fitchett, 
was  as  follows  : 

"  i.  That  the  Conference  records  its  deep  sense  of  the 
patience,  zeal,  and  generous  devotion  with  which  the  New  South 
Wales  Conference  has  administered  Tongan  affairs  during  the 
trying  events  of  the  past  three  years.  The  members  of  the  New 
South  Wales  Conference  have  sustained,  in  behalf  of  the  cause 
of  Christ  in  Tonga,  a  burden  of  anxiety  and  toil  which  entitles 
them  to  the  sympathy  and  respect  of  the  whole  Methodist 
Church. 

"  2.    The   Conference   further    recognises    the    loyalty   and 


428  GEORGE    BROWN 

courageous  fidelity  with  which  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton  has 
laboured  for  the  interest  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Tonga,  and 
deeply  sympathises  with  him  on  account  of  the  trials  and  unjust 
accusations  to  which  he  has  been  exposed.  It  records  its  sense 
of  his  high  character  and  great  ability,  and  approves  of  the 
request  which  he  prefers  to  the  New  South  Wales  Conference, 
through  the  President,  to  be  allowed  to  devote  himself  to 
literary  work,  in  the  shape  of  translations,  etc.,  in  connection 
with  the  work  in  Tonga,  in  Sydney. 

"  3.  That  the  Rev.  George  Brown  be  sent  to  Tonga  as  the 
Commissioner  of  this  General  Conference,  with  instructions 
to  inquire  and  report  upon  the  best  means  of  securing 
honourable  and  lasting  reunion  with  the  Free  Church  in 
Tonga,  and  generally  to  draw  up  a  scheme  for  the  permanent 
settlement  of  our  affairs  there. 

"4.  That  such  report  and  recommendations  shall  be  sub- 
mitted to  a  committee,  who  shall  be  given  charge  of  Tongan 
affairs,  and  through  it,  and  with  such  modifications  as  it  may 
deem  necessary,  be  transmitted  to  the  Annual  Conferences 
next  ensuing,  and  if  approved  of  by  them,  or  by  a  majority 
of  them,  shall  be  taken  as  sanctioned  by  this  General  Con- 
ference ;  and  the  President  of  this  Conference  shall  be,  and 
hereby  is,  instructed  to  give  effect  to  such  plan." 

It  was  suggested  that  there  be  no  further  speeches,  and 
the  Rev.  G.  Lane  withdrew  his  motion,  expressing  his  great 
pleasure  that  something  of  unanimity  had  been  arrived  at. 
I  was  called  upon  to  speak,  and  as  a  matter  of  history,  and 
in  justice  to  myself,  I  again  quote  from  The  Weekly  Advocate 
of  the  above  date,  the  following  account : 

"  The  Rev.  George  Brown  was  then  called  upon  to  speak, 
and  said  he  was  placed  in  a  very  difficult  position  that 
afternoon,  and  he  was  not  prepared  to  say  what  ought  to 
be  his  course  in  the  matter.  He  saw  a  great  many  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  the  enforcement  of  this  step.  Whatever  he 
was  known  as  in  Tonga,  he  was  not  a  Bakerite,  and  he 
thought  Mr.  Baker  would  be  the  last  to  claim  him  as  such. 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS  429 

He  could  not  yet  say  which  way  his  duty  was  in  this  matter, 
and  it  would  depend  on  what  the  Conference  said.  He  held 
a  very  important  post  at  present,  and  one  in  which  he  took  great 
pride.  He  was  not,  however,  going  to  begin  at  this  time  of 
life  to  place  himself  in  opposition  to  the  vote  of  the  Con- 
ference, and  what  he  wanted  to  know  was  that  they  approved 
of  the  step.  He  did  not  want  high  expectations  to  be  raised. 
He  was  very  well  aware  that  if  he  did  go  to  Tonga  he  might 
be  brought  into  collision  with  Mr.  Baker.  He  quite  expected 
trouble,  and  could  easily  discern  that  it  would  require  a  great 
deal  of  care  and  a  great  deal  of  forbearance  to  avoid  a  collision. 
Besides,  he  was  not  certain  that  the  plan  proposed  to  be 
adopted  would  be  satisfactory  to  both  parties,  or  to  their 
own  people  in  Tonga.  He  was,  therefore,  a  little  troubled 
lest  the  Conference  should  think,  in  appointing  the  Commission, 
that  they  had  arrived  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  and  that 
all  would  be  joy  and  peace  and  harmony.  He  very  much 
doubted  whether  that  would  be  the  case.  He  would  have 
to  consult  his  wife  about  going ;  but  he  knew  perfectly  well 
what  her  answer  would  be.  He  spoke  under  great  emotion, 
as  he  had  been  well  treated  by  the  Conference  at  all  times, 
and  he  felt  a  great  weight  of  responsibility  upon  him.  He 
could  not  say  the  blame  of  any  failure  would  .  be  with  them 
if  they  sent  him  ;  and  it  would  not  be  with  him,  as  he  would 
exert  what  ability  and  power  he  had." 

Dr.  Waugh  then  offered  up  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving, 
after  which  all  present  in  the  church  joined  in  singing  the 
Doxology. 

In  accordance  with  the  decision  of  the  General  Conference, 
Mrs.  Brown  and  I  left  Sydney  on  June  22,  and  arrived  in 
Auckland  on  Wednesday,  the  27th.  I  called  on  Mr.  Baker 
several  times  during  my  stay,  and  found  him,  so  far  as  I 
could  judge,  very  friendly  disposed  to  myself  personally  ;  in 
fact,  he  several  times  expressed  his  satisfaction  that  I  had 
been  appointed.  We  left  Auckland  on  July  23.  A  goodly 


430  GEORGE    BROWN 

number  of  kind  friends  came  down  to  the  wharf  to  assure 
us  of  their  sympathy  with  us  in  our  mission.  Amongst  those 
was  the  father  of  my  good  wife,  the  Rev.  J.  Wallis,  who 
after  fifty-four  years'  service  in  New  Zealand,  was  still  able 
to  do  some  good  work  for  God.  Miss  Bavin,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Rainsford  Bavin  of  Onehunga,  accompanied  us  on 
our  voyage.  She  went  to  Tonga  to  take  charge  of  the  school 
for  the  children  of  the  foreign  residents  there.  Mr.  Moulton 
was  very  anxious  that  I  should  select  some  one  for  the  work, 
and  we  were  very  fortunate  indeed  in  being  able  to  secure 
one  who  was  in  every  respect  so  well  qualified  for  the  position. 

We  had  a  good  passage  to  Fiji  in  the  Wainui,  and  reached 
Suva  at  8  p.m.  on  Saturday,  July  28.  We  found  our  dear 
old  friend  (the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Langham),  the  Chairman  of  the 
Fiji  District,  on  the  wharf  to  welcome  us.  It  was  quite  a 
treat  to  see  his  pleasant  face  by  the  light  of  a  large  lantern, 
which  he  swayed  to  and  fro  in  the  endeavour  to  distinguish 
us  amongst  the  crowd  of  passengers  on  the  deck.  We  were 
most  hospitably  welcomed  and  entertained  by  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Duncan  and  the  Rev.  W.  Gardiner,  the  Presbyterian  minister 
in  Suva. 

On  the  following  Monday  I  had  long  conversations  with 
His  Excellency,  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston,  the  Governor,  an  old 
friend  of  mine,  and  one  with  whom  I  had  often  corresponded 
on  matters  connected  with  the  Islands.  He  was,  naturally, 
very  interested  indeed  in  the  Tongan  question,  and  expressed 
himself  very  freely  with  regard  to  the  best  course  of  action 
to  be  pursued  by  us.  We  left  Levuka  in  the  Southern  Cross 
for  Tonga  on  August  3.  Next  day  we  called  at  Taveuni,  the 
following  day  at  Lomaloma,  and  on  August  7  reached  Tonga. 
We  had  a  most  kind  and  hearty  welcome  from  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Moulton  and  family,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  fairly  in  the 
house  a  crowd  of  our  people  came  in,  all  anxious  to  shake 
hands  with  us,  and  assure  us  that  they  were  glad  indeed  to 
see  us  in  Tonga.  I  was  very  kindly  received  by  the  Premier, 
and  also  by  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Watkin.  I  had  an  interview  with 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  431 

the  King  on  August  9.  The  Premier,  of  course,  was  present, 
and  at  my  request  he  kindly  interpreted  for  me,  as  I  had 
not  sufficient  confidence  then  to  air  my  Tongan  before  His 
Majesty  when  Tongan  scholars  were  •  present,  to  whose  voice 
he  was  so  well  accustomed.  I  took  with  me  for  presentation 
to  His  Majesty  a  portrait  of  himself,  which  was  beautifully 
enlarged  by  Mr.  Newman  of  Sydney,  from  a  photograph  which 
I  took  when  in  Tonga  the  previous  year.  He  seemed  pleased 
with  it,  but,  as  usual  in  Tonga  when  a  present  is  given,  not 
much  attention  was  given  to  it  in  the  presence  of  the  donor. 
I  assured  the  King  of  the  good  wishes  of  the  Conference,  and 
told  him  that  I  was  fully  prepared  to  do  all  that  I  possibly 
could  for  the  promotion  of  peace  and  harmony  in  Tonga,  and 
he  was  pleased  to  accept  my  assurance.  The  visit  was  simply 
a  formal  one  on  my  part,  to  present  my  respects  to  His 
Majesty,  as  I  did  not  feel  free  to  go  anywhere  until  that  was 
first  done. 

During  the  next  few  days  several  large  presents  of  food 
were  brought  to  Mr.  Moulton  and  family  as  an  expression  of 
the  love  of  the  people  for  them.  Some  appropriate  speeches 
were  made  in  giving  the  presents,  to  which  Mr.  Moulton  replied 
with  deep  feeling.  On  the  evening  of  Friday,  the  loth,  a  large 
farewell  meeting  was  held  in  Tubou  College.  It  was  a  spacious 
building,  and,  in  fact,  until  the  new  church  near  it  was  built, 
it  could  make  a  good  claim  to  be  the  largest  purely  native 
building  in  those  groups.  It  was,  however,  packed  to  the  doors, 
and  yet  there  was  not  room  for  the  people,  so  that  a  large 
number  were  congregated  round  the  windows  and  doors.  After 
the  singing  of  a  number  of  songs,  most  of  which  were  descriptive 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moulton's  work  for  Tonga,  a  few  short  speeches 
were  made,  and  then  the  people  all  came  forward  by  villages 
and  gave  a  parting  present  to  Mr.  Moulton  as  an  expression 
of  their  esteem  and  love  for  himself  and  family.  This  certainly 
showed  that,  whatever  differences  of  opinion  there  might  be 
as  to  the  policy  pursued  by  Mr.  Moulton,  he  and  his  family 
had  endeared  themselves  to  the  people  by  long  years  of  earnest, 


432  GEORGE    BROWN 

self-sacrificing  work,  by  the  constancy  of  their  love,  and  the 
devotion  of  their  life  to  the  best  interests  of  the  Tongan  people 
On  the  next  day,  Saturday,  August  n,  a  large  number  of  the 
people  assembled  at  the  mission  house,  and  accompanied  the 
party  to  the  wharf.  The  women  were  precluded  by  Govern- 
ment regulations  from  going  on  the  wharf  when  a  steamer  was 
alongside,  so  they  had  to  say  farewell  at  the  gates.  Every  one, 
both  young  and  old,  wished  to  shake  hands  with  each  of  the 
party.  After  this  somewhat  trying  ordeal  was  over,  the  men 
together  with  a  number  of  the  foreign  residents,  proceeded  to 
the  end  of  the  wharf,  where  the  Southern  Cross  lay,  with  steam 
up,  all  ready  for  the  voyage.  It  must  have  been  a  severe  trial 
for  Mr.  Moulton  to  say  good-bye  to  his  people  and  to  the 
College  lads,  but  it  was  said  without  any  outward  expression 
of  the  emotion  which  was  so  deeply  felt.  Mrs.  Moulton  on 
board,  and  most  of  us  on  the  wharf,  were  visibly  affected,  but 
Mr.  Moulton  and  Mrs.  Symonds,  who  stood  by  her  father's  side, 
seemed  determined  to  suppress  all  feeling  which  might  be 
construed  by  others  as  indicating  consciousness  of  humiliation 
or  defeat.  One  of  Mr.  Moulton's  own  hymns  was  sung,  which 
was  led  by  himself  and  Mrs.  Symonds  as  the  Southern  Cross 
moved  away.  And  so,  with  many  expressions  of  esteem,  and 
with  much  love  following  them,  he  and  his  family  left  the  land 
where  for  so  many  years  they  had  done  such  good  and  noble 
work  for  those  people. 

At  this  stage  I  find  it  utterly  impossible,  for  want  of  space 
to  give  a  complete  account  of  my  work,  and  shall  have  to  be 
content  with  giving  a  very  brief  and  imperfect  resume'  of  the 
report  which  I  furnished  to  the  Committee  on  Tongan  affairs, 
and  to  the  Conference.  My  first  two  reports  were  printed  in  a 
pamphlet  of  fifty-one  pages,  for  private  circulation,  and  I  subse- 
quently furnished  a  third  report  on  the  conclusion  of  my 
appointment.  I  have  carefully  preserved  the  correspondence 
and  the  records  of  my  work,  and,  should  it  ever  be  thought 
desirable,  the  whole  of  the  shameful  story  of  the  persecutions  of 
our  people  in  Tonga,  and  their  heroic  endurance  under  most 


LARGE    TRILITHON    AT    MUA. 

Weight  of  side  stones  about  thirty-five  tons  each,  height  17  feet,  top  stone  morticed  into 
side  stones.  Native  name  "  Koe  haamonga  a  Maui,"  the  burden  of  Maui,  one  of  their  deities. 
No  native  knows  how  they  were  got  from  the  sea  to  the  middle  of  the  island  ;  why  they  were 
placed  there,  or  who  were  the  men  who  erected  them.  Probably  a  monument  to  one  of  the 
Tui  Tonga,  sacred  kings  of  Tonga,  or  a  gateway  to  the  burial  place  of  some  of  the  sacred  kings. 


SIDE    VIEW    OF    THE    ABOVE,    SHOWING    MORTICE. 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  433 

cruel  and  unjust  treatment — most  of  which  was  instigated  or 
connived  at  by  men  who,  by  their  nationality,  training,  and 
early  associations,  should  have  been  the  friends  and  protectors 
of  the  Tongan  people — can  readily  be  told  again  to  the  world. 
But  it  is  a  sad  story,  and  one  we  should  all  like  to  forget. 

Those  who  have  read  the  preceding  pages  will  readily 
perceive  that  my  position  was  a  very  difficult  one.  I  knew  that 
the  relations  between  the  New  South  Wales  and  Queensland 
Conference,  and  many  influential  ministers  and  laymen  in  the 
other  Conferences,  had  been  very  strained  on  the  question  of  the 
policy  of  the  New  South  Wales  Conference  in  regard  to  the 
retention  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moulton  in  that  District,  and  I  deemed 
it  to  be  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  my  mission  to  secure  the 
approval  of  all  parties,  and  unanimity  of  thought  and  action  in 
Tongan  affairs.  The  principles  on  which  I  determined  to  act, 
and  by  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  all  my  subsequent  actions  were 
governed,  were  : 

1.  I    determined   to   cultivate    the    most    friendly   relations 
possible  with  the  Rev.  J.   B.  Watkin,  the   Hon.  S.  W.  Baker, 
the  Premier,  and  with  all  the  members  of  the  Free  Church 
party. 

2.  That  I  would  not  concern  myself  with  the  past  history  of 
the  Tongan  troubles,  more  especially  of  those  which  happened 
prior  to  the  investigation   conducted   by  Sir  C.  Mitchell.     My 
policy,  I  decided,  was  to  accept  the  present  situation,  and  to  do 
what  lay  in  my  power  to  remedy  the  evils  which  existed.     I 
was  not  only  willing,  but  anxious,  that  the  past  should  all  be 
forgotten  and  forgiven. 

3.  That    I    would   do   all   that    I    possibly  could   to  assure 
His   Majesty,  and   all   the   members   of  the   Free   Church,   of 
the   earnest    desire    of    the    Conference    that    our    Church   in 
Tonga  should  be  reunited,  and  of  our  readiness  to  adopt  and 
sanction  any  right  and   proper  plan  which  would  conduce  to 
that  end. 

4.  That    I    would    endeavour    in    every   possible   way   to 
prepare  our  own  people  for  union  with  the  Free  Church  party. 

28 


434  GEORGE    BROWN 

5.  That  though  my  own  opinion  was  that  Tonga  was  not 
then  far  enough  advanced  to  be  constituted  one  of  the  Annual 
Conferences  in  connection  with  the  General  Conference,  I  was 
yet  prepared  to  recommend,  as  the  less  of  two  evils,  that  this 
request  should  be  granted,  and  that  if  the  other  difficulties  could 
be  settled  and  union  effected,  we  should  recognise  the  present 
President  of  the  Free  Church  and  the  native  ministers  as  fully 
accredited  ministers  of  our  Church. 

6.  That  in  all  these  matters  it  was  essential  that  the  feelings 
and   wishes   of  our   own   faithful   people    should   be   carefully 
considered.      I    felt   that   the   first   thing   to   be   done   was   to 
promote  a  better  state  of  feeling  between  the  two  Churches, 
and    in    every   way   possible   to   lessen    the   existing    breach, 
and  to  promote  friendly  and  brotherly  intercourse  between  the 
people. 

In  striving  to  carry  out  these  ideas  I  first  called  on  the  Hon. 
S.  W.  Baker  and  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Watkin  in  the  evening  of  the 
first  day  of  my  arrival  in  Tonga,  and  expressed  to  them  my 
hearty  wishes  and  intentions  to  work  with  them  in  every  way 
possible  for  the  welfare  of  the  Tongan  people.  I  then  called 
upon  the  King,  and  assured  His  Majesty  of  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  the  Conference,  and  of  our  earnest  desires  for  the 
welfare  of  himself  and  people. 

I  found  not  only  the  people  divided  into  Wesleyan  and  Free 
Church,  but  the  few  whites  were  distinguished  as  being  either 
Moultonites  or  Bakerites.  Service  was  held  on  alternate 
Sundays  ;  but  when  Mr.  Watkin  held  service  in  one  of  the 
Government  buildings,  Government  officials  and  those  of  the 
whites  who  were  favourable  to  the  Free  Church  attended  ;  and 
when  Mr.  Moulton  was  the  preacher  in  Tubou  College  most  of 
the  white  residents  attended,  but  no  Government  officials.  The 
British  Consul  was  obliged  to  have  two  separate  days  for  tennis, 
as  the  Bakerites  would  have  no  dealings  with  the  other  party. 
As  a  protest  against  these  practices  I  regularly  attended  with 
my  family  both  services,  and  tried  to  induce  Mr.  Watkin  to 
have  a  united  service  only,  and  offered  to  consent  to  it  being 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  435 

held  in  the  Parliament  House  if  he  would  be  willing  to  do  so. 
I  also  attended  the  tennis  party  at  the  Consulate  on  the  Free 
Church  days.  It  must  be  remembered  that  party  spirit  was 
very  high  indeed  in  Tonga,  and  that  the  very  fact  of  my  having 
any  intercourse  with  the  Free  Church  people  was  likely  to 
create  an  uneasy  impression  in  the  minds  of  many,  both 
Europeans  and  natives,  that  I  was  more  inclined  to  side  with 
that  party  than  with  our  own  people.  It  was  not  at  all  pleasant 
for  me  even  to  appear  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  those  who, 
in  the  opinion  of  our  own  people,  had  done  them  such  cruel 
wrong.  I  felt,  however,  that  it  was  necessary  to  show  that 
I  was  prepared  to  meet  with  both  parties,  and  that  I  did  not 
intend  to  countenance,  much  less  to  help  on,  a  state  of  dissen- 
sion and  ill-will.  I  prepared  a  carefully  worded  letter  to  our 
people.  This  I  had  printed  and  ready  for  distribution,  but 
first  showed  a  copy  privately  to  the  Premier,  and  on  his 
opinion,  given  privately  and  unofficially,  I  did  not  then 
issue  it. 

I  found  that  the  wildest  rumours  had  been  circulated  with 
regard  to  the  object  of  my  mission.  The  Wesleyans  had  been 
taunted  by  members  of  the  Free  Church  with  the  assertion  that 
I  was  going  down  to  sell  some  of  the  churches  to  the  Free 
Church,  to  burn  the  remainder,  and  to  pass  over  all  lands,  etc., 
to  the  Free  Church  Conference.  But  I  also  found  that  our 
people  had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Moulton  to  give  us  a  hearty 
and  kind  reception,  and  that  he  had  evidently  done  all  that  he 
could  to  remove  any  such  impressions  from  their  minds.  He 
had  spoken  in  the  kindest  manner  about  me,  and  had  assured 
them  that  they  would  be  quite  safe  under  my  care.  In  this 
respect,  therefore,  my  work  began  under  very  favourable 
circumstances,  and  I  had  the  full  confidence  of  our  people  from 
the  first  week  of  my  arrival  in  Tonga.  No  active  persecution 
was  at  this  time  carried  on  against  them,  but  they  were  still 
subject  to  many  disabilities,  and  to  treatment  which  amounted 
in  many  cases  to  very  decided  persecution,  and  it  was  soon 
evident  to  me  that  any  attempt  to  force  on  any  plans  of  reunion 


436  GEORGE    BROWN 

at  that  time  would  have  been  ill-advised  and  premature,  and 
probably  have  defeated  the  object.  Though  complaints  were 
frequently  made  to  me,  I  thought  it  well  not  to  press  for  any 
investigation  at  that  time,  but  urged  our  people  to  wait  patiently 
for  a  while  until  I  was  in  a  position  to  decide  upon  the  best 
plan  of  action.  In  a  short  time  the  people  began  to  get  a 
little  more  confidence,  and  several  joined  us  in  the  different 
villages,  as  they  heard  no  more  stories  of  any  outbreak  of  active 
persecution  such  as  had  been  common  previous  to  my  arrival  in 
the  group.  We  soon  found,  however,  that  other  and  well-tried 
means  were  still  being  used  to  keep  up  the  old  fear,  and  to 
assure  the  people  that  to  be  a  member  of  our  Church  involved, 
at  all  events,  the  displeasure  of  those  in  power. 

I  have  given  in  my  reports  the  account  of  these  persecutions, 
which  were  carried  on  under  the  name  of  law,  when  the  most 
outrageous  decisions  of  a  Tongan  judge  were  given  on  the 
principle  that  nothing  could  be  too  severe,  and  nothing  illegal, 
where  a  Wesleyan  was  concerned.  I  have  no  wish  to  reproduce 
them  now,  when  a  better  state  of  affairs  exists,  but  at  the  time 
they  certainly  served  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended, 
of  inspiring  fear  in  the  hearts  of  our  people,  and  showing  them 
the  disabilities  which  they  incurred  by  their  attachment  to  our 
Church. 

Before  leaving  Tonga  at  the  end  of  my  first  term  there  as 
Special  Commissioner  I  spoke  repeatedly  to  Mr.  Baker  about 
the  men  and  women  who  were  still  in  exile  in  Tofua  and  in  Fiji, 
and  repeatedly  urged  him  to  attend  to  those  cases,  as  an 
absolute  preliminary  to  any  attempt  at  union.  I  said  :  "  Mr. 
Baker,  how  can  I  talk  about  union  or  recognition  of  you  as  a 
Church  under  existing  circumstances?  There  are  many  who 
know  the  facts  of  these  cases,  and  they  will  naturally  ask  why 
we  should  unite  with  a  Church  which  has  banished  our  people 
to  Tofua  and  to  Fiji  for  no  crime  whatever,  but  simply  because 
they  are  Wesleyans,  and  which  still  keeps  those  men  and  women 
there,  though  you  profess  now  that  the  Church  to  which  they 
belong  has  full  right  to  exist  in  Tonga,  and  you  seek  to  unite 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  437 

with  it.  There  are  men  there  in  exile  for  no  crime,  unless  it  be 
a  crime  to  go  to  family  prayer  at  Mr.  Moulton's  house ;  and 
there  are  others  who  were  sent  for  an  alleged  refusal  to  take 
the  military  oath  whose  sentences  have  long  since  expired,  but 
are  still  kept,  in  defiance  of  all  law  and  justice.  Why,"  I  askedj 
"  should  men  like  David  Tonga  and  others  be  exiled  from  their 
own  land  ?  For  there  are  many  in  Fiji  against  whom  no  charge  of 
crime  has  ever  been  made.  Surely,"  I  said,  "  your  own  sense  of 
justice  will  compel  you  to  set  these  matters  right."  His  reply 
was  that  the  men  at  Tofua  would  have  been  attended  to  long 

before  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference  of  Mr.  C and 

the  British  Consul. 

Another  matter  to  which  I  referred  was  the  injustice  of 
imposing  upon  us  restrictions  with  regard  to  our  worship 
which  were  not  imposed  upon  Roman  Catholics  or  Free  Church 
people.  But  with  regard  to  all  these,  and  many  other  acts  of 
injustice  which  I  brought  under  his  notice,  I  got  only  vague 
promises  that  they  would  be  attended  to,  which  were  never 
carried  into  effect. 

The  conclusions  which  I  arrived  at  during  this  first  stay  in 
Tonga  were,  that  the  action  taken  by  the  General  Conference 
was  decidedly  right,  and  that  we  were  in  a  better  position  in 
consequence  thereof  than  we  had  been  for  a  long  time  previous  ; 
that  in  view  of  the  fact  that  there  was  no  real  desire  for  union 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Baker  or  Mr.  Watkin,  it  was  not,  in  my 
opinion,  desirable  to  press  that  matter  upon  our  people,  but  to 
wait  patiently  until  the  disabilities  under  which  they  were  placed 
were  removed,  and  until  the  persecutions  which  were  inflicted 
on  them  had  ceased  ;  and  my  recommendations  to  the  Tongan 
Committee  were  that  we  should  still  stand  by  our  people  and 
wait  as  patiently  as  we  could  for  brighter  days  ;  that  the  Rev. 
J.  E.  Moulton  should  be  appointed  to  a  circuit  in  the  colonies  ; 
that  Mr.  Crosby  should  remain  for  the  present,  and  that  another 
minister  should  be  appointed  in  Mr.  Moulton's  place. 

I  sailed  from  Tonga  in  the  S.S.  Lubeck  on  December  7, 
Mrs.  Brown  remaining  in  Tonga.  We  called  at  Samoa,  and 


438  GEORGE    BROWN 

arrived  in  Sydney  on  December  19.  I  met  the  Tongan 
Committees  in  Sydney  and  Melbourne,  and  submitted  the  first 
report  and  left  for  Adelaide  on  January  2,  to  meet  the  South 
Australia  section  of  that  committee. 

On  reading  the  accounts  in  the  newspapers  of  these  visits  I 
find  a  paragraph  in  The  Spectator  of  January  4  which  I  think 
might  well  be  inserted  here.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  I 
have  in  writing  this  memoir  is  to  avoid  inserting  the  many  kind 
remarks  made  about  myself,  and  I  feel  the  same  difficulty  with 
regard  to  those  made  about  one  who  has  been  a  willing  helper 
in  all  my  work,  and  who  has  shared  my  sorrows  and  trials 
at  all  times  without  repining  ;  but  I  insert  the  following  because 
the  words  spoken  of  one  of  their  sisters  may  comfort  some  other 
faithful  workers  in  the  mission  field  by  the  assurance  that  their 
work  and  sufferings  are  known  and  appreciated ;  and  also 
because  I  wish  to  say  that  I  fully  concur  in  the  statement  made 
in  the  concluding  lines  :  "  Mr.  Brown  went  on  to  Adelaide  on 
Wednesday  last,  to  confer  with  the  members  of  the  Tongan 
Committee  there,  and  he  will  meet  our  own  Committee  once  more 
when  he  comes  back  to  Melbourne  on  his  way  to  Sydney.  In 
the  meanwhile  Mrs.  Brown  is  remaining  in  Tonga,  awaiting  his 
return.  Our  readers  will  remember — no  Methodist  is  likely  to 
forget — the  message  which  that  noble  woman  sent  along  the 
telegraph  wires  to  her  husband  when  the  General  Conference 
asked  him  if  he  could  go  to  Tonga :  'If  you  think  it  is  your 
duty  to  go,  I  am  willing.'  We  must  not  forget  what  this 
willingness  involved,  and  what  it  still  involves.  It  meant  leaving 
her  children  behind  her,  and  it  means  that  still.  While  her 
husband,  in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  has  the  joy  of  greeting 
the  loved  ones  again,  the  wife  and  mother  still  remains  patient 
and  steadfast  at  her  post,  as  she  did  before  in  New  Britain 
under  circumstances  such  as  would  have  tried  the  faith  of  the 
boldest  martyr  who  ever  faced  the  stake  for  the  sake  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  ;  and  she  does  this  sort  of  thing  after  a  quiet, 
matter-of-course  fashion,  as  if  it  involved  no  more  self-sacrifice 
than  an  interview  with  the  butcher  and  the  selection  of  the  daily 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  439 

joint.  And  when  she  comes  home  again  she  will  just  step  into 
her  vacant  place  as  quietly  as  if  she  had  only  been  visiting  a 
neighbour  round  the  corner  of  the  street,  instead  of  making  a 
sacrifice  which  brings  the  tears  into  strong  men's  eyes  whenever 
they  think  of  it.  We  talk  about  what  our  missionaries  have 
done,  but  some  of  our  best  missionaries  tell  us  that  they  feel 
very  small  when  they  compare  their  doings  with  what  their 
wives  have  done  and  suffered  in  the  mission  field." 

'  After  meeting  the  Tongan  Committees  I  visited  New  South 
Wales,  Victoria,  Tasmania,  South  Australia,  and  Queensland,  in 
company  with  Rev.  David  and  Mrs.  Tonga,  to  raise  funds  for 
clearing  off  the  debt  which  pressed  heavily  on  the  Tonga 
District.  This  debt  was  the  result  of  the  disruption.  The 
liabilities  of  18,000  people  had  fallen  upon  3,000,  and  they  were 
unable  to  discharge  them.  At  these  meetings  I  simply  told  the 
story  of  what  I  had  to  do  as  Special  Commissioner,  and  of  the 
way  in  which  my  efforts  for  peace  with  honour  to  both  parties 
had  been  met.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tonga  were  very  effective  speakers, 
and  the  simple,  unaffected  manner  in  which  they  narrated  some 
of  the  incidents  of  the  persecutions  which  they  and  others  had 
suffered,  produced  a  great  effect. 

Immediately  after  our  return  from  Adelaide  I  left  for  Tonga, 
on  my  second  visit  as  Special  Commissioner.  Leaving  Sydney 
on  April  26,  1889,  for  Fiji,  I  reached  Suva  on  May  6,  and  had 
an  interview  with  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston  on  the  same  day.  His 
Excellency  received  me  very  courteously,  gave  me  full  informa- 
tion about  the  exiles,  and  assured  me  that  the  Government  were 
ready  to  do  everything  which  it  was  possible  to  do  for  them 
during  their  residence  in  the  group.  On  my  arrival  in  Levuka, 
I  chartered  a  small  vessel,  and  visited  the  exiles  at  Koro.  They 
were  of  course  delighted  to  see  me,  and  to  receive  the  presents 
of  clothing,  kerosene,  soap,  boat-sails,  paint,  medicines,  etc.,  with 
which  I  was  able  to  supply  them,  and  of  which  they  were  in 
great  need.  I  had  long  conversations  with  the  native  ministers, 
and  with  all  the  people.  The  king's  daughter,  Princess  Charlotte  ; 
Vaea,  one  of  the  principal  chiefs  in  Tonga,  who  had  just  been 


440  GEORGE    BROWN 

refused  permission  to  land  in  Tonga ;  William  Maealiuaki, 
and  other  chiefs,  were  all  present.  I  called  over  the  names  of 
all,  and  asked  each  one  as  to  his  or  her  wish  with  regard  to 
their  return  to  Tonga.  Without  one  single  exception,  they  all 
stated  that  they  were  anxious  to  return  to  their  own  land  as 
soon  as  possible.  There  were  about  a  hundred  of  them, 
including  several  ordained  ministers,  who  were  members  of 
the  New  South  Wales  and  Queensland  Conference. 

On  this  visit  I  remained  in  Tonga  until  October  15,  and 
during  the  five  months  of  my  stay  I  was  constantly  travelling 
about  the  group,  visiting  also  the  outlying  islands  of  Niua  Foou, 
and  Niua  Tobutabu,  and  was  also  engaged  in  a  very  voluminous 
correspondence  with  the  King,  the  Premier  (Mr.  Baker),  Rev. 
J.  B.  Watkin,  and  Tongan  officials.  This  correspondence  is 
very  interesting  as  a  matter  of  history  as  showing  the  injustice 
with  which  our  people  were  treated,  and  also  the  great  difficulties 
which  I  had  to  contend  against  in  my  endeavours  to  carry  out 
the  wishes  and  instructions  of  the  General  Conference,  and  to 
protect  the  Wesleyans  of  Tonga,  as  far  as  possible,  from  the 
underhand  persecutions  which  were  inflicted  upon  them  ;  but  it 
is  not  necessary  or  advisable  to  reproduce  it  here.  I  was  never 
able  in  any  of  my  reports,  for  obvious  reasons,  to  give  any  in- 
formation of  what  was  being  done  quietly  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  action  which  was  subsequently  taken  by  the  then  Governor 
of  Fiji  in  practically  deporting  Mr.  Baker  from  Tonga.  It  was 
my  great  privilege  to  enjoy  the  friendship  of  the  late  Sir  J.  B. 
Thurston  for  many  years  prior  to  my  appointment  as  Special 
Commissioner,  and  I  may  say  now  that  which  I  could  not  say  at 
the  time,  that  in  the  whole  of  my  actions  I  was  guided  very 
much  by  the  counsel  and  advice  given  me  in  the  course  of  a 
constant  friendly  private  correspondence  with  him,  and  that  I 
was  able  from  time  to  time  to  give  His  Excellency  official 
information,  either  through  the  British  Consul,  or  direct  to 
himself,  which  enabled  him  to  compel  Mr.  Baker  publicly  to 
withdraw  many  of  his  unfounded  statements  and  insinuations, 
and  to  make  public  apologies  for  the  same.  I  knew  well  what 


T 

r  i 

I'J 


w    3 

s    S 

H  a 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  441 

His  Excellency's  opinions  were  about  Mr.  Baker,  and  I  well 
understood,  also,  the  difficult  position  in  which  he  was  placed. 
I  knew  something,  too,  of  his  character,  and  was  fully  assured 
that  he  would  not  move  until  the  way  was  perfectly  clear,  but 
that  when  he  did  move  he  would  act  in  a  way  that  would 
astonish  Mr.  Baker,  and  those  who  tried  to  defend  or  extenuate 
his  actions  ;  and  I  was  well  content  to  wait  for  this.  When  I 
read  now  the  correspondence,  and  remember  how  keenly  I  felt 
the  great  injustice  with  which  so  many  of  our  people  were 
treated,  I  often  wonder  at  the  patience  which,  by  God's  help, 
I  was  able  to  manifest.  The  editor  of  The  Spectator,  my  old 
friend,  the  late  Dr.  Fison,  knew  me  well,  and  knew  at  the  time 
all  that  I  was  doing.  When  I  read  in  a  leading  article  of  his, 
referring  to  my  work,  the  words,  "  He  has  held  himself  completely 
in  check,  and  has  developed  a  fund  of  patience  which  nobody 
supposed  to  be  latent  in  his  constitution,  and  the  existence 
of  which  was  unsuspected  even  by  himself,"  I  fully  endorsed  his 
opinion. 

The  beginning  of  the  end,  so  far  as  Mr.  Baker's  power 
in  Tonga  was  concerned,  may  be  dated  from  May  30,  on 
which  day  I  received  a  letter,  which  Mr.  Baker  had  him- 
self posted  at  Nukualofa.  He  had  evidently  written  in  great 
anger  on  hearing  of  the  deep  impression  which  had  been 
made  on  the  people  in  Australia  by  the  story  of  the  perse- 
cutions, as  told  by  Rev.  David  and  Mrs.  Rachel  Tonga 
during  the  meetings  which  we  held  on  behalf  of  the  fund 
for  the  relief  of  our  Tongan  Church.  In  this  letter  he 
made  some  statements  concerning  me  which  were  afterwards 
described  by  a  distinguished  official  as  "  mendacious  and 
slanderous  in  the  highest  degree."  I  confess  to  having  felt  great 
satisfaction  when  I  read  the  letter,  for  I  knew  well  that  he  had 
given  me  abundant  evidence  in  support  of  an  action  at  law, 
either  for  criminal  libel  or  for  civil  action  for  damages.  This 
opinion  was  afterwards  confirmed  by  some  very  eminent  legal 
authorities.  It  was  a  great  temptation,  and  for  some  time  I 
determined  to  enter  an  action  for  libel,  and  took  preliminary 


442  GEORGE    BROWN 

steps  in  the  Consular  Court  for  the  issue  of  a  writ  I  have 
often,  however,  felt  very  thankful  since  those  days  that  I  finally 
decided  not  to  seek  for  any  vindication  of  my  character  in  this 
way.  In  the  letter  Mr.  Baker  had,  however,  in  his  anger  against 
me,  made  a  serious  charge  against  the  British  officials,  and 
I  deemed  it  right  to  acquaint  the  High  Commissioner  with  the 
fact,  and  to  obtain  his  official  reply,  as  this  would  be  necessary 
in  the  event  of  any  legal  proceedings  being  taken  by  me.  I 
therefore  submitted  the  original  letter  to  the  British  Consul,  and 
obtained  from  him  a  stamped  certificate  that  he  had  compared 
the  extracts  presented  to  him  with  the  original  letter,  and  that 
they  were  correct.  These  I  forwarded  to  His  Excellency,  the 
Governor  of  Fiji,  and  High  Commissioner,  together  with  copies 
of  correspondence  thereon.  I  also  asked  His  Excellency  to 
inform  me  whether  he  was  aware  of  any  such  agreement  having 
been  made,  between  the  officials  of  the  British  Government  and 
the  late  Revs.  Chapman  and  Hurst,  as  Mr.  Baker  declared  and 
affirmed.  I  also  gave  a  short  re'sume' of  the  facts  connected  with 
certain  actions  of  mine  in  New  Britain,  and  the  subsequent 
inquiries  thereon,  and  asked  His  Excellency  whether  he 
considered  such  re'sume'  to  be  a  correct  statement  of  the 
facts. 

On  September  20  I  received  from  the  private  secretary  of 
the  Governor  a  letter,  dated  Suva,  September  9,  informing  me, 
by  direction  of  His  Excellency,  that  the  allegations  made  by 
Mr.  Baker  respecting  an  alleged  agreement  between  the  officials 
of  the  British  Government  and  Messrs.  Chapman  and  Hurst 
were  without  foundation  in  fact.  A  reply  in  the  affirmative 
was  also  given  to  my  categorical  inquiries  whether  the  brief 
statements  contained  in  paragraph  10  of  my  letter,  and  marked 
(a)  to  (g)  inclusive,  could  be  taken  as  a  correct  resume  of  the 
history  of  the  case  in  question.  A  copy  of  the  officially 
recorded  address  or  communication  made  to  me  by  His 
Excellency  Sir  Arthur  Gordon,  on  November  12,  1889,  and  an 
extract  from  TJie  Fiji  Times,  of  November  15,  1889,  were  also 
enclosed.  The  letter  concluded  as  follows :  "  From  the  fore- 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  443 

going  and  the  enclosure  it  will  be  seen  that  the  affirmation  of 
Mr.  Baker,  that  there  was  collusion  between  the  officials  of  the 
British  Government  and  Messrs.  Chapman  and  Hurst  for  the 
purpose  or  object  declared  by  Mr.  Baker,  or  otherwise,  is 
mendacious  and  slanderous  in  the  highest  degree,  whether  as 
regards  yourself  or  such  officers." 

By  the  same  mail  Mr.  Baker  received  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  to  the  High  Commissioner,  in  which  he  was  informed 
of  the  contents  of  my  letter,  and  was  told  that  unless  within  the 
course  of  six  weeks  from  the  date  of  the  arrival  of  the  despatch 
in  Tonga  the  High  Commissioner  should  have  received  a  full 
apology  for,  and  a  complete  retractation  of  the  libel  against  the 
Court  of  the  High  Commissioner,  and  "  the  officers  of  the  British 
Government,"  contained  in  his  letter  to  the  Rev.  George  Brown 
and  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Symons,  dated  on  or  about  May  r  I  last,  and 
of  which  an  extract  was  enclosed,  legal  proceedings  would 
be  instituted.  Mr.  Baker  had  tried  several  times  to  withdraw 
his  letter,  but  as  I  had  sent  it  to  the  High  Commissioner  I 
was  not  able  to  accede  to  his  request.  He  was  ultimately 
compelled  to  write  a  letter  to  that  gentleman,  from  which  the 
following  extract  is  given  : 

"Will  you  please  inform  His  Excellency  that  before  I 
received  your  letter  I  had  already  apologised  to  the  Rev. 
George  Brown  and  withdrawn  the  letter,  and  now,  as  desired  by 
His  Excellency,  I  would  fully  apologise  for  and  completely 
retract  the  statement  made  in  my  letter  to  the  Rev.  George 
Brown,  a  copy  of  which  was  forwarded  to  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Symons, 
and  of  which  an  extract  was  enclosed  in  your  despatch  to  me  of 
September  9." 

With  regard  to  this  part  of  his  letter,  Mr.  Baker  received 
from  the  Secretary  a  reply  in  which  he  was  informed  as  follows  : 
"  As  regards  the  libel  contained  in  your  letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Brown,  as  you  have  made  a  full  apology  and  retractation,  the 
High  Commissioner  will  institute  no  prosecution  in  respect  of  it. 
Of  course,  it  is  out  of  His  Excellency's  power  to  debar  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Brown  from  pursuing  his  civil  remedy  if  he  still  wishes  to 


444  GEORGE    BROWN 

do  so.  Should  that  gentleman  see  fit  to  take  this  action,  the 
High  Commissioner  does  not  doubt  that  the  Court  would  mark 
its  sense  of  a  very  gross  slander  circulated  under  the  cloak 
of  private  and  confidential  correspondence." 

This  ended  the  matter  of  the  libel  case,  so  far  as  I  was 
personally  concerned  ;  but,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  the 
fact  of  the  charge  having  been  made  against  British  officials  was 
not  forgotten  when  the  time  came  for  decisive  action.  But  a 
still  more  serious  blunder  was  made  at  this  time  by  the  Premier 
(Mr.  Baker).  He  published  a  Tongan  Blue  Book,  which  was 
circulated  amongst  the  members  of  the  General  Conference  held 
in  Melbourne.  This  contained,  amongst  other  papers,  a  report 
on  the  attempted  assassination  of  Mr.  Baker,  purporting  to  be 
written  by  the  Tongan  Chief  of  Police,  in  which  it  was  distinctly 
implied  "that  Mr.  Vice-Consul  Symonds  supplied  an  escaped 
prisoner  with  ammunition  for  the  rifles  he  and  his  fellows  had 
stolen  from  the  Tongan  Government,  and  that  one  of  those 
stolen  rifles  was  subsequently  found  in  the  British  Consulate, 
with  the  name  of  the  bushranger  cut  upon  it." 

This  gave  great  offence  to  the  High  Commissioner,  and 
Mr.  Baker  was  informed  that  His  Excellency,  while  requiring 
redress  for  these  insults  on  the  part  of  the  Government  of 
Tonga,  held  Mr.  Baker  individually  responsible  for  the  offensive 
and  unfounded  charges  against  British  officials,  and  against  the 
administration  of  justice  in  the  High  Commissioner's  Court, 
which  he  had  printed  and  published  in  the  Australasian 
colonies.  Mr.  Baker  naturally  did  all  that  was  possible  to 
excuse  the  blunders,  and  to  assure  His  Excellency  that  he  did 
not  mean  to  make  any  charges  against  British  officials.  But 
he  evidently  felt  again  that  he  was  placed  in  a  very  perilous 
position,  and  so  on  January  8,  1890,  he  wrote  a  full  apology 
on  behalf  of  the  Tongan  Government,  and  also  on  his  own 
behalf,  at  the  close  of  which  he  "  respectfully  requested  permission 
unreservedly  to  withdraw  all  the  charges  against  the  late 
Mr.  Symonds,  either  of  complicity  in  the  attempted  murder,  or 
of  supplying  the  outlaws  or  other  Tongans  with  firearms,  and 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  445 

also  all  other  insinuations  that  an  impartial  trial  was  not  accorded 
by  the  Chief  Judicial  Commissioner  in  the  trial  of  Hanslip." 
He  also  offered  a  free  and  full  apology  for  having  circulated  such 
charges  in  the  Australasian  colonies.  These  two  matters  had, 
in  my  opinion,  a  very  important  influence  when  the  question 
had  to  be  considered,  at  a  subsequent  period,  as  to  whether 
it  was  expedient  or  not  that  Mr.  Baker  should  continue  to  reside 
in  Tonga. 

During  my  second  term  of  residence  I  conducted  a  very 
voluminous  correspondence  with  the  Premier  on  the  many  acts 
of  injustice  from  which  our  people  suffered,  more  especially  by 
police  court  proceedings.  I  pleaded  also  for  the  release  of 
the  Military  Oath  prisoners,  who  had  more  than  completed 
their  sentences  ;  for  the  return  of  the  exiles  from  Fiji  and 
Tofua ;  and  for  the  abolition  of  ordinances  with  regard  to 
public  worship,  which  were  evidently  only  intended  to  insult 
and  humiliate  our  people. 

I  also  wrote  a  letter  to  the  King.  This  was  couched  in  most 
respectful  terms,  and  some  of  the  highest  chiefs  in  Tonga  said 
that  it  was  "  exceedingly  good  and  very  respectful."  It  was 
well  known  at  the  time  that  the  King  was  displeased  with 
Mr.  Baker  on  several  matters,  and  after  consultation  and 
careful  consideration  I  decided  to  write  direct  to  His  Majesty, 
and  in  such  a  manner  as  would  ensure  its  being  received  by 
him.  We  all  felt  that  we  had  now  absolutely  nothing  to 
expect  from  Mr.  Baker  but  the  most  determined  opposition, 
while  there  was  certainly  a  possibility,  and  apparently  a  great 
probability,  of  our  being  able  to  weaken  his  very  undesirable 
influence  over  the  King.  In  this  letter  I  expressed  the  great 
love  of  the  Conference  to  His  Majesty  ;  repudiated  the  assertion 
that  the  Conference  wished  in  any  way  whatever  to  make 
money  out  of  Tonga  ;  said  that  I  was  of  opinion  that  when  the 
proper  time  came  the  Conference  would  not  object  to  create 
Tonga  an  Annual  Conference ;  stating,  however,  that  the 
Conference  had  no  faith  in  Mr.  Baker,  and  believed  that  he 
was  the  origin  of  the  unbecoming  actions  which  were  being 


446  GEORGE    BROWN 

done  in  Tonga.  I  then  formally  and  respectfully  stated  to 
His  Majesty  what  I  thought  should  be  done  to  restore  peace 
and  union  between  the  two  Churches,  viz.,  that  he  should 
grant  freedom  of  worship  to  all  parties  ;  that  he  should 
graciously  consider  my  respectful  petition  on  behalf  of  the 
Military  Oath  prisoners,  and  also  on  behalf  of  the  exiles  in 
Fiji  and  Tofua.  If  these  things  were  done  I  was  of  opinion 
that  it  would  be  possible  to  unite  the  two  Churches,  to  obtain 
for  Tonga  a  Conference  the  same  as  Sydney  and  Melbourne, 
and  that  all  the  land,  leases,  and  buildings  of  the  two  Churches 
would  be  given  to  that  Conference  to  be  governed  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  of  the  General  Conference  of  Australasia. 

Some  doubted  at  the  time  whether  it  was  wise  for  us  to 
write  that  letter,  but  I  myself  had  no  doubt,  and  though  I 
received  an  abusive  letter  written  over  the  signature  of  the 
King,  it  was  English  and  not  Tongan  composition,  and  the 
English  was  Mr.  Baker's  English.  The  letter  contained  only 
Mr.  Baker's  thoughts,  arguments,  and  grievances,  though  these 
were  written  above  the  signature  of  King  George.  No  harm 
whatever  was  done,  and,  as  I  shall  relate  further  on,  this  was 
made  very  clear  by  the  words  and  actions  of  the  King  when  I 
met  him  in  Haapai,  after  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Baker. 

During  my  stay  at  this  time  I  felt  that  it  was  very  desirable 
that  I  should  visit  the  outlying  groups  of  Niua  Foou  and  Niua 
Tobutabu.  We  left  Tonga  in  the  schooner  Olive,  Captain  Ross, 
on  August  12,  reached  Vavau  on  the  I4th,  and  landed  at  Niua 
Foou  on  August  17.  The  island  seemed  to  be  the  summit  of  a 
large  volcano.  There  was  a  terrible  eruption  in  1883,  to  which 
the  people  often  refer.  The  quantity  of  lava  disgorged  in  that 
eruption  covered  at  least  ten  miles  of  country  with  solid  rock, 
averaging  from  eight  to  fifteeen  feet  in  thickness.  One  village 
was  entirely  destroyed,  having  been  swallowed  up  in  an  immense 
fissure  from  which  a  large  stream  of  lava  was  expelled.  The 
natives  told  us  many  wonderful  stories  of  narrow  escapes  from 
death  during  that  and  some  of  the  subsequent  eruptions.  There 
is  a  large  lake  in  the  crater  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  in 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS  447 

which  there  have  been  several  eruptions  of  late  years,  and  new 
land  has  been  formed. 

After  doing  what  we  could  to  cheer  and  encourage  our 
people  there,  we  left  on  the  24th  for  Niua  Tobutabu,  and 
reached  Tonga  again  on  September  6,  after  a  period  of  almost 
incessant  travelling.  I  left  on  September  10,  and  arrived  in 
Auckland  on  the  I4th,  and  during  my  stay  there  visited  several 
places  in  New  Zealand  in  the  interest  of  the  Mission.  On 
November  10  I  left  for  Fiji,  and  reached  Suva  on  the  i6th. 
During  my  short  stay  there  I  had  several  interviews  with 
His  Excellency  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston.  I  found  him,  as  usual,  well 
posted  in  all  the  affairs  of  Tonga,  but  I  was  able  to  give  him 
definite  information  upon  some  matters  which  was  afterwards 
of  some  use  to  him  in  connection  with  the  affairs  in  that  group. 
His  Excellency  very  kindly  placed  the  Government  steamer 
Clyde  at  my  disposal,  to  enable  me  to  visit  the  exiles  in  Koro. 
I  left  Fiji  on  November  21,  arrived  in  Auckland  on  the  26th, 
and  Sydney  on  December  16.  During  my  stay  in  Sydney 
I  prepared  a  long  report  for  the  ensuing  Conference,  at  the 
close  of  which  I  expressed  my  thanks  for  the  very  valuable 
help  given  to  me  by  the  Rev.  E.  E.  Crosby,  B.A.,  during  each 
of  my  visits,  and  also  the  willing  assistance  which  I  had  received 
from  the  Rev.  C.  E.  James,  and  also  from  all  our  native 
ministers  and  office-bearers  in  the  Church.  Mr.  Crosby's 
position  in  Tonga  was  indeed  a  most  painful  one,  but  no  man 
was  more  loyal  to  our  Church. 

My  report  was  adopted  by  the  Conference,  to  be  forwarded 
to  the  General  Conference.  The  two  recommendations  which  I 
made,  to  the  effect  that  we  should  earnestly  solicit  the  good 
offices  of  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  secure  the  fulfilment  of 
the  promises  made  by  His  Majesty  King  George  to  the  late 
High  Commissioner,  and  also  that  steps  should  be  taken  to  bring 
the  persecution  of  our  people  prominently  under  the  notice 
of  the  Churches  in  England  and  America,  were  made  by  me 
after  considerable  consideration  and  with  certain  defined  objects. 
I  knew  that  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston  would  give  careful  consideration 


448  GEORGE    BROWN 

to  the  first  recommendation,  as  he  had  so  recently  had  a  similar 
experience  with  Mr.  Baker  in  connection  with  breaches  of 
promises.  I  was  also  of  opinion  that  the  request  of  the  respec- 
tive Conferences  would  very  much  strengthen  His  Excellency's 
hands  in  the  demands  which  he  was  quite  ready  to  make  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  which  had  been  given  ;  and 
subsequent  events  showed  that  my  judgment  in  this  matter  was 
correct.  I  also  knew  that  the  expressed  opinion  of  the 
representatives  in  England  and  America  would  have  great 
weight  in  Fiji  and  in  Tonga. 

Immediately  after  the  Conference  closed  I  visited  Melbourne, 
and  met  the  Tongan  Committee  there.  It  was  deemed 
desirable  that  I  should  return  as  soon  as  possible  to  Tonga, 
so  I  left  on  March  20,  arrived  in  Nukualofa  on  the  27th,  and 
remained  there  until  April  26.  I  left  again  in  order  to  attend 
the  General  Conference  in  Sydney.  Rev.  C.  E.  and  Mrs.  James 
returned  also  at  this  time.  We  arrived  in  Sydney  on 
May  8. 

At  the  General  Conference  held  in  Sydney  in  May  of  that 
year,  1890,  the' consideration  of  Tongan  affairs  in  connection 
with  the  report  which  I  submitted  occupied  a  considerable  time, 
and  excited  much  interest.  The  discussion  was  principally 
with  regard  to  the  recommendation  that  we  should  solicit, 
through  the  High  Commissioner,  the  good  offices  of  Her 
Majesty's  Government  to  secure  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises 
made  by  His  Majesty  (King  of  Tonga)  to  the  late  High 
Commissioner,  more  especially  as  regards  the  proclamation 
of  freedom  of  worship,  the  removal  of  existing  disabilities,  and 
the  return  of  the  exiles  in  Fiji  and  Tofua.  My  position  at  the 
General  Conference  was  a  difficult  one.  I  knew  something,  and 
strongly  suspected  more,  of  what  the  action  of  the  High 
Commissioner  was  likely  to  be,  but  I  was  not  in  a  position 
to  state  what  I  knew,  much  less  to  give  utterance  to  mere 
suppositions  of  my  own.  It  was,  however,  very  apparent  to  me 
that  the  High  Commissioner  had  lost  all  hope  of  effecting 
necessary  reforms  in  Tonga  through  the  Premier.  I  think  that 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS  449 

for  many  years  Sir  John  Thurston  entertained  very  kindly 
feelings  towards  Mr.  Baker,  and  thought  that  he  had  been 
unwisely  treated  by  the  Conference  ;  but  as  time  passed  on  this 
opinion  was  changed,  and  he  quite  despaired  of  being  able 
to  remedy  the  evils  which  were  so  very  apparent  in  Tongan 
administration  through  Mr.  Baker's  help.  It  is  very  easy  to 
see  now — and  I  think  Mr.  Baker  himself  must  often  have  seen 
it  in  late  years — that  he  might,  by  the  exercise  of  a  little  kindly 
forbearance  and  consideration  for  the  welfare  of  others,  have 
been  a  great  power  for  good  in  Tonga.  He  had  a  grand 
opportunity  but  failed  to  use  it  aright.  The  Conference  passed 
the  resolution  by  a  very  large  majority,  I  think  by  99  votes  to 
5  ;  and  this,  in  my  opinion,  did  much  to  strengthen  the  hands 
of  the  High  Commissioner  when  he  subsequently  visited 
Tonga. 

During  this  Conference,  also,  the  New  Guinea  Mission  was 
proposed,  and  I  was  requested  to  visit  that  country  to  make 
preliminary  inquiries  and  arrangements.  I  found  it  necessary 
to  leave  at  once,  in  order  that  I  might  reach  Cooktown  before 
the  Government  schooner  Hygeia  left  that  port,  as  I  might  thus 
be  able  to  meet  Sir  William  MacGregor  at  Port  Moresby,  and 
accompany  him  on  a  projected  trip  round  the  Islands.  This 
appeared  so  important  that  I  asked  permission  from  the  Confer- 
ence to  start  immediately.  On  this  being  granted  I  left  on 
Sunday  night  by  the  express  train  to  Brisbane,  and  so  caught 
the  steamer  from  that  port  to  Cooktown.  The  account  of  that 
voyage  I  must  give  further  on,  as  I  think  it  best  to  finish 
the  story  of  my  connection  with  Tonga  before  doing  so. 

On  my  return  to  Cooktown  in  August,  I  received  a  telegram 
conveying  the  startling  intelligence  that  the  High  Commissioner 
had  prohibited  Mr.  Baker  from  residing  in  Tonga  for  a  period 
of  two  years,  that  the  King  had  granted  full  civil  and  religious 
rights  to  our  people,  and  that  the  exiles  were  returning  from 
Tofua  and  Fiji.  On  my  arrival  in  Sydney,  on  August  29. 
it  was  considered  very  desirable  by  our  missionaries  and  people 
in  Tonga,  and  also  by  the  High  Commissioner,  that  I  should 

29 


450  GEORGE    BROWN 

leave  as  soon  as  possible  for  that  District,  so  that  I  had  only 
four  or  five  days  in  Sydney,  and  left  by  the  S.S.  Lubeck  on 
September  4. 

My  readers  must    now  remember  that  in    the  time  which 
had  elapsed   since   my   previous  visit   some  important   events 
had   taken    place   in    Tonga.     I    had   prepared   for   this   work 
an   account  of  the   visit  of  His   Excellency   the    High  Com- 
missioner   to    Tonga,   the    proceedings    which    ended    in    his 
prohibiting   Mr.    Baker   to    remain  within  the  Tonga  Islands 
after  July   17,  and  the  effect  of  that  action   upon  the  Tonga 
people  ;  but  want   of  space   again   compels   me   to   omit  this 
most  interesting  narration.     No  account,  however,  could  convey 
any   adequate   idea  of  the   great  joy   which   was   felt   by   all 
the  people  of  Tonga,  quite  irrespective  of  creed  or  position, 
when  the  decision  of  the  High  Commissioner  was  made  known. 
There  were    many  proofs  of  this,   and  some  most   significant 
facts  which  showed   most  conclusively  that   King  and  people 
alike  were  deeply  grateful  to  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston  for  the  action 
which   he   had    taken.     No   one   who   has   any    knowledge   of 
Polynesian    customs    can    dispute    the    significance    of    King 
George's   action  in    his  interview  with  the   Governor  the  day 
after   Mr.  Baker's    dismissal,   when  "  he   thanked   him    as   he 
had  never  thanked   man  before,"  by  bowing  his  head  before 
him  and  placing  his  own  hand  upon  the  back  of  it.     No  greater 
proof  of  his  sincerity  could  have  been  given  by  any  Polynesian 
chief,   for   it   was   practically   presenting  his  life   in   token   of 
his   gratitude ;  but   that   it   should   be  done  by  such  a  grand 
old  warrior   as  George  Tubou,  who  had   reigned   as   King  of 
Tonga   for  so    many   years,   who   was    beloved    and    revered 
by  all  as  no  one  else  had  ever  been,  and  who  had  never  before 
bowed  his  head  to  any  one  but  to  the  God  in  heaven  whom 
he   loved   and   served,   was   to   all   who   knew   him   the   most 
convincing   proof  of    the   sincerity   of  his   gratitude.     It   was 
indeed   the   supreme   act ;    there    was   nothing   more   that    he 
could   do ;  and    I   can  readily  imagine   how  deeply  the  chiefs 
and  people  of  Tonga  were  impressed  when  it  was  made  known 


TONGAN   AFFAIRS  451 

to  them,  and  how  profoundly  moved  the  old  warrior  King 
was  when  he  tendered  that  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  his  thanks. 

The  other  incident  was  on  July  17,  when  a  ceremonial 
presentation  was  made  by  the  Tongan  nation  to  His  Excellency 
the  High  Commissioner.  I  quote  the  following  description 
of  this  unique  ceremony,  written  by  my  friend,  the  late 
Dr.  Fison,  and  published  in  The  Spectator  (Melbourne)  of 
August  29,  1890,  not  merely  for  the  information  which  it 
gives  of  the  event,  but  also  for  its  scientific  value.  The  article, 
which  is  illustrated  by  an  engraving  from  a  photograph,  taken 
on  the  spot,  of  King  George's  spokesman  addressing  the 
High  Commissioner,  is  as  follows  : 

"  The  foregoing  engraving,  which  is  from  a  photograph 
taken  on  the  spot,  represents  the  ceremonial  presentation 
made  by  the  Tongan  nation  to  Sir  John  Thurston,  K.C.M.G., 
Governor  of  Fiji,  and  High  Commissioner  of  the  Western 
Pacific.  The  phrase,  '  By  the  Tongan  nation,'  is  used  designedly, 
for  the  presentation  was  most  certainly  a  national  offering, 
and  the  manner  of  it  was  full  of  the  deepest  significance. 
In  order  that  this  may  be  understood  by  our  readers,  a  few 
words  of  preliminary  explanation  are  necessary. 

"  In  many  of  the  Polynesian  tribes,  as  in  similar  tribes 
elsewhere,  there  are  two  kings,  one  of  whom  may  be  called 
the  War-king,  and  the  other  the  Sacred  King.  The  latter 
has  been  called  the  Priest-king,  a  convenient  term,  though 
scarcely  accurate,  for  this  chief  does  not  necessarily  hold 
priestly  office.  His  special  attribute  is  not  power,  but  sanctity  ; 
his  person  is  more  than  sacred  ;  it  is  saturated  with  mana,  or 
divine  influence,  impious  contact  with  which  is  fatal  to  the 
inferior  commoners.  Not  always,  but  in  most  cases,  as  in 
Tonga,  the  War-king  has  the  real  power  and  authority  in  his 
hands,  while  the  Priest-king  has  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
unbounded  reverence  of  his  people,  which  takes  substantial 
form  in  the  offerings  of  food  and  property. 

"The  War-king  in  Tongatabu  is  the  head  chief  of  the 
elder  branch  of  a  clan  called  Ngata  (snakes).  His  title 


452  GEORGE    BROWN 

is  Tui  Kanokubolu  (King  of  the  Heart  of  Upolu,  as  rendered 
by  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Moulton),  and  the  present  bearer  of  this 
title  is  King  George  himself.  The  Priest-king,  or  Tui  Tonga, 
is  the  head  chief  of  another  clan.  Hence,  it  will  be  seen  that, 
according  to  ancient  custom,  both  religion  and  authority,  or, 
as  we  may  say,  both  Church  and  State,  are  represented  by 
these  two  kings,  the  Tui  Tonga  and  the  Tui  Kanokubolu. 

"  But  our  preliminary  explanation  is  not  yet  complete. 
When  a  Tui  Tonga  marries  a  daughter  of  the  Tui  Kanokubolu, 
the  daughter  of  that  marriage  is  a  lady  of  special  rank,  and 
of  the  very  highest  sanctity.  She  is  called  the  Tui  Tonga 
fefine  (female),  and  children  born  of  her  are  almost  more  than 
mortal.  They  approach  the  gods.  Bearing  these  things  in 
mind,  we  may  now  be  able  to  appreciate  the  significance  of  the 
part  which  these  personages  took  in  the  ceremonial  offering  to 
the  High  Commissioner. 

"On  July  17  thousands  of  people,  men,  women,  and 
children — in  fact,  the  whole  population  of  Tongatabu — turned 
out  to  fete  His  Excellency,  by  offerings  of  food,  and  fruit,  and 
flowers,  after  the  fashion  of  the  olden  times.  Everybody  gave 
something — a  yam,  kava,  a  comb,  an  egg,  etc.,  those  who  had 
nothing  else  laying  down  a  rose  or  two.  The  great  multitude 
passed  before  Sir  John  in  single  file,  each  depositing  his 
offering  as  he  passed,  and  then  taking  his  place  among  the 
crowd  of  spectators.  We  have  already  told  our  readers  how 
King  George  thanked  Sir  John  personally,  '  as  he  had  never 
thanked  man  before,'  with  the  significant  gesture  of  his  hand 
placed  on  the  back  of  his  bowed  head  ;  and  now,  when  all 
the  thousands  of  natives  had  passed,  and  had  taken  their  seats 
on  the  grass,  the  King's  spokesman  arose,  and,  standing  before 
Sir  John,  thanked  him  again  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people 
for  '  freeing  Tonga,'  as  he  said,  '  from  tyranny  and  the  devil ; 
so  that  Tonga — oh,  happy  day  ! — is  again  a  free  land,  and 
breathes  and  lives.'  Thus  the  whole  people  individually, 
and  the  King's  spokesman  (Motuabuaka),  on  behalf  of  the 
King  and  people,  expressed  their  thankfulness.  But  the  two 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  453 

incidents  which,  next  to  that  remarkable  gesture  of  the  King, 
are  the  most  interesting  and  significant  of  all,  remain  to  be 
told.  We  may  add  here  that  the  King's  gesture  was  accom- 
panied by  the  word  '  faimalie  ' — untranslatable,  but  expressing 
an  acknowledgment  of  the  deepest  obligation  and  devoted 
thankfulness  for  a  supreme  benefit  received. 

"  The  first  presentation  made  to  Sir  John  was  the  grandson 
of  Tungi,  the  Head  of  one  of  the  Royal  clans  akin  to  that 
of  King  George.  The  child  was  borne  in  a  man's  arms, 
carrying  in  his  little  hand  a  model  of  a  Tongan  war  club, 
which  he  gave  to  the  High  Commissioner.  His  Excellency 
said,  as  he  received  it,  that  it  would  be  placed  with  King 
Thakombau's  battle-axe,  and  other  highly  prized  memorials 
of  his  life  in  the  Pacific.  We  are  almost  afraid  to  say  what 
the  meaning  of  this  act  is.  Our  readers  will  note  that  the  child 
was  presented  as  well  as  the  club,  and  the  presentation  of  the 
grandchild  is  of  special  significance. 

"  The  second  and  even  more  remarkable  incident  is  as 
follows :  The  Tui  Tonga  fefine,  at  the  head  of  forty-eight 
ladies — who  advanced  in  close  order,  three  deep,  sixteen  in 
each  line — came  forward,  and  placed  round  the  High  Com- 
missioner's neck  a  garland  of  a  certain  special  kind,  which  in 
the  old  days  could  be  worn  by  none  other  than  the  Tui  Tonga 
himself,  and  not  even  by  him  excepting  on  certain  specially 
sacred  occasions.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  according 
to  the  old  notion,  this  was  actually  paying  Divine  honours  to 
the  High  Commissioner.  This  is  by  far  the  most  astonishing 
of  all  the  remarkable  actions  that  were  performed.  Power,  as 
represented  by  the  club  and  the  King's  gesture,  might  be 
conferred  upon  an  alien,  but  the  gift  of  the  garland  was  an 
acknowledgment  of  inherent  hereditary  sanctity.  It  was  a 
distinct  act  of  adoption  and  investiture.  We  congratulate  His 
Excellency  on  his  acquisition  of  the  mana. 

"  The  significance  of  these  three  things,  from  the  native 
point  of  view — the  King's  gesture,  the  war-club,  and  the  sacred 
garland — is  something  astounding.  Our  acquaintance  with 


454  GEORGE    BROWN 

native  custom  hardly  permitted  us  to  believe  the  evidence  of 
our  own  eyes  as  we  read  the  letter  of  our  correspondent,  a 
gentleman  of  long  experience  in  the  South  Seas,  who  was  an 
eye-witness  of  the  whole  affair ;  but  even  those  who  have  no 
such  special  knowledge  cannot  fail  to  perceive  in  these  incidents 
the  profound  sense  of  national  obligation  from  which  they 
sprang.  This  obligation  was  increased  in  no  small  degree  by 
the  manner  in  which  Sir  John  Thurston  conducted  his 
negotiations.  He  came,  not  as  'the  strong  man  armed,'  but 
as  a  friend,  and  the  high  consideration  which  he  showed  to  the 
old  King  from  first  to  last  went  not  a  little  way  in  gaining  for 
him  the  affection  of  both  chiefs  and  people.  Sir  John  has 
evidently  acquired  an  almost  unbounded  influence  in  Tonga, 
and  we  doubt  not  he  will  use  it  to  promote  the  best  interests 
of  its  people." 

Dr.  Fison  well  describes  this  as  a  scene  which  has  had 
no  parallel  in  the  South  Seas. 

Another  great  event  which  had  taken  place  was  the  return 
of  the  exiles. 

This  event,  which  had  been  so  long  hoped  for,  was  at  last 
accomplished  through  the  good  offices  of  the  High  Commissioner. 
On  his  return  from  Tonga  His  Excellency  at  once  despatched 
the  Government  steamer  to  Koro,  and  brought  all  the  refugees 
to  Suva,  and  arrangements  were  made  for  their  leaving  by  the 
S.S.  Pukaki  on  August  16.  During  the  time  they  were  in  Suva 
the  exiles  received  much  consideration  and  kindness  from  the 
foreign  residents  and  their  own  friends.  A  few  days  before  they 
left,  Lady  Thurston,  though  suffering  from  serious  indisposition, 
invited  the  King's  daughter,  Princess  Charlotte,  and  all  the 
Tongan  ladies,  to  afternoon  tea.  Charlotte,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, was  the  King's  only  surviving  daughter,  and  was 
over  sixty  years  of  age.  She  was  the  mother  of  Fatafehi,  the 
Governor  of  Haabai,  who  was  one  of  the  very  highest  chiefs  in 
Tonga,  being  indeed  the  representative  of  the  old  Tui  Tongas 
or  sacred  kings.  The  next  day  Princess  Charlotte  and  a  number 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  455 

of  her  women  visited  Government  House  again,  and  presented 
Lady  Thurston  with  a  large  roll  of  tapa  (native  cloth)  ;  and  in 
doing  this  the  old  lady  made  a  very  affecting  speech.  She 
informed  Lady  Thurston  that  the  tapa  had  been  made  by  her 
niece,  and  given  to  her  when  she  was  driven  from  Tonga.  Her 
niece  had  told  her  that  she  would  in  all  probability  die  in  Fiji 
amongst  strangers,  and  she  was  giving  her  this  large  roll  of  tapa 
that  she  might  be  wrapped  up  in  it  when  dead,  and  be 
buried  in  something  from  Tonga  rolled  about  her.  The 
Princess,  however,  said  :  "  By  God's  goodness  I  am  not  dead, 
and  I  am  going  back  to  Tonga  through  the  help  of  your 
husband,  the  Governor,  well  and  strong.  Please  accept  this 
cloth.  I  know  it  is  perfectly  useless  to  you,  but  I  want  you  to 
accept  it,  because  I  have  nothing  else  to  offer  you."  On  Friday 
the  whole  of  the  Tongans,  men,  women,  and  children,  numbering 
about  a  hundred  and  twenty,  visited  Government  House  to  take 
a  formal  farewell  of  the  Governor.  His  Excellency  received 
them  in  the  drawing-room  attended  by  his  staff ;  and  Mr.  Basil 
Thompson,  Revs.  Lindsay  and  Worrall,  were  also  present  by 
invitation.  His  Excellency  gave  them  a  most  interesting 
address,  and  concluded  by  expressing  his  best  wishes  for  them 
and  for  Tonga,  and  their  safe  and  happy  return  home.  The 
chief  Maealiuaki  gave  a  most  appropriate  reply,  concluding  with 
the  words  :  "  You  have  wiped  away  the  tears  from  the  eyes  of 
the  chiefs  and  people  who  sit  here  to-day,  and  not  only  ours,  but 
those  of  the  whole  of  Tonga." 

On  Saturday,  August  16,  the  S.S.  Pukaki  was  dressed  with 
a  gay  array  of  bunting,  and  his  Excellency  the  Governor, 
accompanied  by  his  staff,  a  number  of  prominent  officials 
and  high  chiefs,  went  on  board  to  bid  the  exiles  farewell  on  their 
return  to  their  own  land  again.  The  wharf  was  crowded  with 
Europeans,  fellow  country  people  of  the  returning  exiles,  and 
Fijian  chiefs,  who  had  gathered  to  see  the  departure.  It  was 
estimated  that  there  were  nearly  a  thousand  people  on  the  wharf 
at  the  time.  The  Pukaki  reached  Tonga  on  August  19,  and 
the  exiles  had  indeed  a  joyous  welcome  from  their  many  friends. 


456  GEORGE    BROWN 

it  was  a  day  of  gladness  to  all,  and  I  think  most  of  the  members 
of  the  Free  Church  were  glad  that  the  exiles  had  been  brought 
back,  for  they  naturally  felt  the  implication  on  the  sincerity  of 
their  profession,  that  the  people  of  Tonga  were  free  to  worship 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  whilst  these 
people  remained  in  Fiji.  The  King  was  delighted,  and  ex- 
pressed his  joy  many  times,  and  in  many  ways. 

Soon  after  this  I  arrived  in  Sydney  from  my  first  visit  to 
New  Guinea.  It  was  deemed  desirable  that  I  should  at  once 
proceed  to  Tonga,  so  that  as  soon  as  I  could  get  a  few  slides 
made  from  the  negatives  which  I  had  taken  in  New  Guinea,  I 
left  again  for  that  district. 

We  reached  Tonga  on  September  12,  and  were  kindly  re- 
ceived by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  and  Mrs.  Bowring,  who  had  then  been 
for  some  months  in  Tonga.  I  visited  most  of  the  towns,  and 
showed  the  views  which  I  had  taken  in  New  Guinea.  The 
natives  were  deeply  interested,  and  large  numbers,  both  of  our 
people  and  also  of  the  Free  Church,  attended  the  meetings.  My 
object  was  not  only  to  interest  the  people,  but  also  to  stir  up  an 
interest  in  our  new  Mission.  We  left  for  Haabai  on  October  2, 
and  whilst  there  I  visited  all  the  principal  towns  and  islands. 
Whilst  I  was  in  Haabai  I  visited  the  King,  as  I  have  already 
mentioned.  He  was  sitting  on  the  verandah,  and  as  soon  as  he 
saw  me  enter  the  grounds  he  called  out  my  name  and  asked  Mrs. 
Brown  and  myself  to  go  inside.  He  handed  a  chair  to  my  wife, 
and  then  sat  down  on  the  ground  himself,  saying  with  a  smile  : 
"  I  will  be  faka  Tonga  "  (Tonga  fashion).  I,  of  course,  also  sat 
"faka  Tonga"  on  the  mat,  and  we  had  a  long  talk  together. 
He  was  very  interested  in  New  Guinea,  and  asked  me  many 
questions  about  it  and  about  the  prospects  of  our  work  there. 
Nothing  was  said  about  Tongan  affairs,  but  no  one  could  have 
received  a  more  convincing  proof  of  the  goodwill  of  the  King  to 
myself  personally  than  I  received  from  him  at  Haabai.  This 
was  confirmed  by  his  many  acts  of  kindly  feeling  and  considera- 
tion when  we  returned  to  Tonga,  as  on  several  occasions  when 
presents  of  fish  or  food  were  taken  to  him  he  sent  a  portion  of  it 


THE    LAST    PHOTO    OF    KING    GEORGE    OF    TONGA. 
Age  at  the  time  ninety-two  or  ninety-three  years. 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  457 

to  us  at  the  mission  house.  I  always  feel  very  thankful  that  the 
grand  old  man  was  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  false 
councillors  before  he  died,  and  that  he  felt  free  to  follow  the 
dictates  of  his  own  conscience.  Nothing,  I  think,  showed  this 
deliverance  more  clearly  than  a  speech  which  he  made  about 
this  time  to  the  bulekolos  (town  rulers),  to  the  effect  that  God 
had  been  very  good  to  them  :  that  when  they  were  doing  wrong, 
sinning  against  the  Bible,  against  the  Constitution,  and  against 
God,  He  had  been  patient  and  loving,  and  had  not  punished 
them  as  they  deserved. 

We  commenced  our  District  Meeting  on  October  21,  at 
Nukualofa.  I  had  a  lot  of  volunteers  for  New  Guinea,  and 
promised  that  some  of  them  should  be  sent  in  the  first  draft. 
I  was  able  to  report  that  our  people  were  behaving  splendidly, 
that  not  a  word  of  triumph  was  ever  spoken,  nor  anything 
done  that  would  irritate  the  members  of  the  Free  Church.  I 
stated  that  our  people  evidently  felt  that  the  best  policy  was  the 
one  which  I  had  urged  upon  them  from  the  very  beginning, 
that  of  conciliation,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  of  forgetfulness  and 
forgiveness  of  past  acts  of  injustice.  I  saw  the  King  again, 
and  ventured  to  speak  about  the  lands  which  had  been  taken 
away  from  us.  The  next  morning  he  went  to  Tugi,  the 
Minister  for  Lands,  and  told  him  very  definitely  to  see  that  we 
got  them  all  back  again.  When  I  asked  him  whether  the 
teachers  who  had  volunteered  for  New  Guinea  were  free  to  go, 
he  got  quited  excited,  and  replied  :  "  Of  course,  they  can  go. 
Who  shall  hinder  them  ?  Let  them  please  themselves."  This 
was  all  very  delightful  to  me  and  to  all  of  us,  and  compared 
favourably  with  the  painful  experiences  of  former  years. 
Resolutions  were  passed  at  the  Synod  expressing  gratitude  to 
God  for  the  return  of  our  ministers  and  people  from  exile  in 
Koro  and  Tofua.  Letters  of  thanks  were  sent  to  the  President 
of  the  General  Conference  for  the  cheering  and  instructive 
letter  he  sent  to  the  Church  in  Tonga ;  to  His  Excellency 
Sir  J.  B.  Thurston,  for  his  kindness  to  the  exiles  while  in  Fiji, 
and  for  the  assistance  he  had  rendered  to  the  cause  of  religious 


458  GEORGE    BROWN 

freedom  in  Tonga  ;  to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Tonga,  for 
granting  freedom  of  religious  worship  and  for  permitting  the 
return  of  the  exiles  ;  also  to  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Waterhouse,  in 
affectionate  and  grateful  recognition  of  his  numerous  and  self- 
denying  labours  on  behalf  of  our  Church  in  Tonga.  A  letter 
of  condolence  was  sent  to  the  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  W.  G.  R. 
Stephinson,  who  laboured  for  many  years  in  those  islands. 

The  following  resolution  of  thanks  was  carried  unanimously  : 
"  We,  the  ministers  and  circuit  stewards  of  this  District,  wish  to 
thank  you  for  your  performance  of  the  work  of  Special  Commis- 
sioner allotted  to  you  by  the  General  Conference.  It  is  true  that 
the  first  point,  the  uniting  of  the  two  Churches  in  Tonga,  has  not 
been  effected,  but  the  second  has  been  more  than  fulfilled,  and 
we  are  enjoying  its  fruits  to-day.  Furthermore,  you  have 
accomplished  your  important  and  arduous  task  in  the  colonies, 
the  uniting  of  the  Australasian  Conferences.  For  we  recognise 
that  that  is  the  source  of  the  good  that  has  befallen  us.  We  do 
not  know  who  will  be  our  Chairman  next  year,  but  we  pray  that 
prosperity  may  ever  attend  on  your  path  and  works.  And  we 
pray  for  the  lasting  welfare  of  yourself  and  of  your  beloved 
wife  and  children." 

We  left  Tonga  on  November  12,  and  reached  Samoa  on 
the  1 4th.  On  December  2  I  left  Apia  by  the  Wainui  for 
Fiji,  leaving  Mrs.  Brown  in  Samoa  to  go  direct  to  Sydney.  At 
Niua  Foou  we  landed  the  Governor  of  Haabai,  the  Premier  of 
Tonga,  and  the  Minister  of  Police  for  a  short  time,  to  inquire 
into  some  reported  cases  of  persecution  in  that  island.  It  is  a 
most  dangerous  landing-place,  but  we  managed  to  get  ashore 
and  back  to  the  ship  without  accident.  We  reached  Suva  on 
December  4.  After  finishing  my  business  with  the  brethren 
in  Fiji,  I  found  there  was  no  passenger-boat  leaving  for  the 
colonies  at  the  time  I  wished  to  leave ;  so  I  engaged  a  passage 
in  a  cargo-steamer  leaving  for  Auckland.  When  I  went  on 
board  the  steward  asked  me  in  a  most  significant  manner  if  I 
had  a  good  pair  of  "  sea-boots,"  for  I  would  surely  need  them. 
I  had  no  sea-boots,  but  I  had  very  good  sea-legs  and  a  fair 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  459 

appetite  when  on  salt  water  ;  and  though  the  Okau,  deeply 
laden  with  sugar,  did  certainly  keep  her  decks  well  washed 
all  the  time,  yet  Captain  Brewer  and  a  genial  lot  of  officers 
made  my  voyage  to  Auckland  a  very  pleasant  one.  Some  time 
afterwards  I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  the  O/iau,  under  the  same 
captain  and  on  a  similar  voyage,  was  lost  with  all  hands.  We 
reached  Auckland  in  about  five  days,  and  after  doing  some  work 
there  I  left  on  December  24,  and  reached  home  safely  on  the 
3Oth,  after  about  ten  months  of  travelling,  during  the  whole  of 
which  time  I  was  only  about  sixteen  days  at  home. 

With  this  voyage  I  practically  concluded  my  work  as 
Special  Commissioner,  and  at  the  ensuing  Conference  (1891) 
I  presented  a  report,  which,  as  given  in  the  official  minutes 
of  that  year,  page  126,  is  as  follows:  "The  President,  the 
Rev.  George  Brown,  reported  that  he  had  visited  Tonga 
twice  since  the  last  Conference  in  discharge  of  his  duties 
as  Special  Commissioner.  He  stated  that  since  the  departure 
of  Mr.  Baker  from  that  group,  in  consequence  of  the  Order 
which  was  issued  by  His  Excellency  the  High  Commissioner 
for  the  Western  Pacific,  prohibiting  him  from  residing  in 
Tonga  for  the  term  of  two  years,  there  had  been  a  great 
change  in  the  state  of  affairs  in  Tonga.  The  freedom  of 
religious  worship  had  been  publicly  proclaimed,  and  the 
vexatious  laws  and  restrictions  which  were  in  force  had 
either  been  repealed  or  were  no  longer  acted  upon.  The 
exiles  from  Fiji  and  Tofua  had  been  brought  back  to  their 
homes  again,  and,  principally  through  the  kind  offices  of  His 
Excellency  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston,  all  the  prisoners  who  were 
unjustly  confined  had  been  set  at  liberty.  The  principal 
College  Lands  which  had  been  forcibly  taken  from  us  had 
been  restored,  and  His  Majesty  and  the  Government  were 
anxious  that  perfect  freedom  should  be  enjoyed  by  all  the 
members  of  our  Church,  and  that  full  justice  should  be 
secured  to  them.  The  President  also  stated  that  he  did  not 
advise  any  continuation  of  the  attempt  to  bring  about  a 
union  of  the  two  Churches,  but  deemed  it  most  desirable 


460  GEORGE    BROWN 

that  our  object  should  be  to  work  quietly  side  by  side  with 
the  Free  Church,  and  by  acts  of  kindness  and  conciliation 
endeavour  to  secure  the  present  harmony  and  future  union 
of  the  two  Churches." 

The  Conference  also  recorded  a  resolution  of  thanks  to 
me,  and  in  another  resolution  resolved,  "  That,  in  view  of 
the  work  accomplished  in  Tonga,  and  the  improved  state 
of  our  affairs  there,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Conference  it 
is  not  necessary  to  reappoint  the  Special  Commissioner." 
I  was  very  thankful  indeed  to  be  relieved  of  the  extraordinary 
power  with  which  the  General  Conference  of  1888  had 
invested  me. 

I  can  look  back  now,  I  am  glad  to  say,  on  this  part 
of  my  life's  work  with  some  satisfaction.  I  have  received 
the  commendation  and  approval  of  my  brethren  and  our 
people  for  the  share  which  I  have  been  privileged  to  take 
in  some  of  the  successful  work  which  has  been  carried  on 
by  the  Methodist  Church  in  these  lands,  and  in  the  Islands. 
For  these  I  have  always  been  very  grateful,  though  conscious 
that  I  have  sometimes  received  more  than  my  fair  share  of 
honour ;  but  I  can  honestly  say  now  that  I  always  regard 
the  work  which  I  did  in  Tonga  as  the  best  which  I  have 
been  able  to  do  for  the  Methodist  Church.  Very  few  can 
realise  now  how  great  the  danger  was  to  the  peace  of  our 
Church  in  Australasia  when  I  was  appointed  as  Special  Com- 
missioner ;  and  no  one  can  know  how  hard  a  task  was 
imposed  upon  me  when  I  had  to  secure  and  retain  the 
confidence  of  our  own  people,  especially  when  I  felt  compelled 
to  refrain  from  a  course  of  action  which  would  only  have 
irritated  the  Free  Church,  or  accentuated  their  enmity  against 
us.  It  was  not  so  very  hard  to  be  patient  under  insult  and 
annoyance  to  oneself  personally,  but  it  was  almost  unendurable 
to  see  the  injustice  and  positive  cruelty  which  were  heaped 
upon  our  people  simply  for  their  attachment  to  our  Church. 
Yet  it  was  not  until  Mr.  Baker  had  shown  most  plainly  that 
he  and  those  associated  with  him  would  be  satisfied  with 


TONGAN    AFFAIRS  461 

nothing  less  than  the  abandonment  of  our  people,  and  the 
withdrawal  of  our  Church  from  Tonga,  and  that  for  the 
accomplishment  of  these  purposes  a  system  of  intimidation 
and  coercion  was  being  carried  on  by  acts  which,  though 
done  in  the  name  of  the  law,  were  in  reality  utterly  unjust 
and  which  in  many  instances  caused  much  cruel  suffering  to 
our  people,  that  I  determined  to  resist  these  acts  of  oppression 
to  the  best  of  my  ability.  That  my  presence  in  Tonga  was 
some  check  upon  the  Premier  and  the  Government  of  Tonga  in 
their  treatment  of  our  people  is  a  simple  fact  of  history  ;  but 
Mr.  Baker  had  been  spoilt  by  the  possession  for  a  long  time  of 
almost  absolute  power  in  Tonga,  and  he  made  the  fatal  error 
of  regarding  his  own  position  as  permanent  and  unassailable, 
and  of  underestimating  the  powers  of  all  who  might  venture 
to  oppose  him.  A  wiser  man  would  have  read  the  writing 
on  the  wall  long  before  the  crash  came,  and  a  less  pre- 
sumptuous man  would  have  given  heed  to  the  warning 
which  he  received  from  Sir  Charles  Mitchell,  and  would  not 
have  tried  to  deceive  and  trick  such  an  astute  and  able 
politician  as  the  late  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston.  The  later  years  of 
Mr.  Baker's  rule  as  Premier  were  indeed  full  of  blunders. 
He  might  have  brought  about  the  reunion  of  the  Tongan 
Church,  he  could  have  secured  for  this  reunited  Church  every- 
thing for  which  the  Free  Church  contended,  and  he  could,  by 
a  course  of  wise  and  conciliatory  action,  have  rehabilitated 
himself  to  a  considerable  degree  with  the  Conference  of  our 
Church ;  but  he  preferred  to  allow  the  continuance  of  a 
policy  of  persecution,  injustice,  and  cruelty,  which  ended  with 
the  order  of  prohibition,  the  loss  of  his  property,  the  obscurity 
of  a  few  brief  years,  and  his  sad  and  painful  death  in 
Haabai  after  his  return  to  Tonga. 


PIONEERING   IN    NEW   GUINEA 


X 

PIONEERING   IN    NEW   GUINEA 

THE  first  proposal  to  establish  this  Mission  was  made  in  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  President  of  the  New  South  Wales 
Conference  by  Rev.  G.  Woolnough,  which  stated  that  Sir 
William  MacGregor,  Governor  of  British  New  Guinea,  who 
was  then  in  Brisbane,  had  requested  him  to  ask  whether  the 
Australasian  Board  of  Missions  would  undertake  a  Mission  to 
the  eastern  end  of  the  territory.  The  letter  set  forth  that  the 
population  was  very  great,  and  that  in  one  part  there  were 
seven  hundred  Europeans  engaged  in  gold-digging.  No  mis- 
sionary of  any  Church  was  in  that  part  of  New  Guinea.  Sir 
William  had  laid  the  matter  before  the  agents  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  thinking  that,  as  they  were  already  within 
the  possession,  they  might  wish  to  make  an  effort  to  occupy 
the  entire  field  ;  but  they  held  out  no  hope  of  being  able  to 
do  more  at  that  time.  He  therefore  applied  to  the  Wesleyan 
Board  of  Missions. 

This  letter  was  considered  by  the  Board  on  August  19, 
1889,  and  it  was  agreed  that  a  communication  should  be  sent 
to  Sir  William,  informing  him  that  the  Board  was  favourable 
to  the  project,  but  needed  fuller  information.  Mr.  Waterhouse 
was  also  directed  to  inform  the  Sydney  agent  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  of  the  application  which  Sir  William  Mac- 
Gregor had  made  to  the  Board.  Valuable  information  was 
afterwards  secured  from  the  Government  Secretary  of  British 
New  Guinea,  A.  Musgrave,  Esq.,  whose  report  was  printed, 
together  with  lithographs  of  that  portion  of  the  chart  of  New 

465  30 


466  GEORGE    BROWN 

Guinea  which  had  been  marked  out  as  a  suitable  field  for 
the  operations  of  our  Society.  These  were  considered  by  the 
Board  on  December  30,  1889.  A  letter  was  read  from  the 
Rev.  W.  G.  Lawes,  of  Port  Moresby,  expressing  pleasure  at 
the  probable  commencement  of  our  Mission  in  New  Guinea, 
and  giving  important  information  bearing  upon  missionary 
operations  in  that  sphere.  After  discussion,  the  following 
resolution  was  unanimously  adopted  :  "  The  information  supplied 
relative  to  the  commencement  of  a  Mission  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  British  New  Guinea  having  been  carefully  considered, 
and  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Lawes,  of  Port  Moresby, 
expressing  gratification  at  the  prospect  of  our  Missionary 
Society  taking  up  that  portion  of  the  territory  which  the 
London  Missionary  Society  is  unable  to  work,  having  been 
read,  this  Board  commends  the  undertaking  to  the  favourable 
consideration  of  the  approaching  Annual  Conferences." 

This  resolution  was  communicated  by  the  Board  to  all 
the  Annual  Conferences.  At  the  General  Conference  held  in 
Sydney  in  May  1890  it  was  decided  to  accept  the  invitation 
of  His  Excellency  Sir  William  MacGregor  to  enter  upon 
a  new  Mission  in  the  eastern  end  of  British  New  Guinea, 
and  the  adjacent  groups  of  islands,  believing  it  to  be 
a  providential  call  to  our  Church.  That  Conference  also  in- 
structed the  General  Secretary  to  visit  New  Guinea,  and  to 
report  to  the  Board  of  Missions  on  his  return  ;  and  authorised 
the  Board  to  take  action  for  the  establishment  of  the  Mission, 
should  they  consider  his  report  to  justify  such  action. 

On  receiving  these  instructions  I  found,  as  I  have  previously 
stated,  that  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  leave  at  once  in  order 
to  catch  the  Government  schooner  at  Cooktown.  I  left  Sydney 
on  May  18,  and  fortunately  reached  Cooktown  four  days  before 
the  arrival  of  the  schooner  from  New  Guinea.  I  found  that 
Captain  Thompson  had  received  definite  instructions  with 
regard  to  my  passage.  We  left  Cooktown  in  the  Hygeia  on 
June  7,  and  arrived  at  Port  Moresby  on  Monday,  June  9.  I 
was  received  with  great  kindness  by  the  Governor,  Sir  William 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA      467 

MacGregor,  who  gave  me  a  very  hearty  welcome,  and  cordially 
invited  me  to  stay  with  him  at  Government  House,  but  at 
the  same  time  told  me  that  I  was  to  come  and  go  just  as  I 
pleased.  During  my  sojourn  at  Port  Moresby  I  stayed  with 
my  old  friends,  Rev.  W.  G.  and  Mrs.  Lawes.  I  knew,  of  course, 
that  I  should  have  many  opportunities  on  the  voyage  of  con- 
versing with  the  Governor,  and  so  I  wished  to  learn  all  that 
was  possible  for  me  to  get  from  friendly  intercourse  with  the 
missionaries. 

I  soon  found  that  there  was  some  misunderstanding  about 
the  proposed  field  for  our  Mission,  as  the  Rev.  A.  Maclaren 
had  gone  down  with  the  intention  of  commencing  a  Mission 
in  connection  with  the  Church  of  England.  From  inquiries 
made,  it  was  clear  that  the  Louisiade,  with  other  groups,  had 
been  offered,  or  rather  suggested,  to  the  Anglican  Church  as 
a  suitable  field,  and  that  they  had  been  for  some  time  preparing 
to  act  upon  the  suggestion,  and  to  undertake  the  work ; 
but  it  was  certain  that  they  had  never  notified  Sir  W.  Mac- 
Gregor of  their  intention,  and  that  when  he  offered  that  field 
to  us  he  was  not  aware  that  the  Anglican  Mission  were  pre- 
paring to  begin  work  there.  It  was  also  true  that  the  London 
Missionary  Society  had  not  abandoned  their  claim  to  the  north- 
east coast  of  the  mainland,  but  that  on  the  contrary  they  were 
preparing  to  extend  their  operations  to  that  part  of  the  country  ; 
and  the  announcement  that  it  had  been  offered  to  and  accepted 
by  us  was  a  great  surprise  to  all,  and  a  great  disappointment 
to  one  of  the  missionaries  who  was  preparing  to  visit  that 
particular  district.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  there  were  com- 
plications of  no  little  difficulty  to  be  dealt  with,  but  these 
were  happily  overcome  by  the  strong  determination  of  all 
concerned,  that  the  respective  districts  of  the  societies  should 
be  so  arranged  that  all  chances  of  collision  or  interference  would 
be  entirely  prevented.  How  this  was  done  will  be  found  in 
the  following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted  at  a  meeting 
held  at  Port  Moresby,  on  June  17,  1890,  at  which  were  present 
the  Revs.  W.  G.  Lawes,  F.  W.  Walker,  and  H.  M.  Dauncey, 


468  GEORGE    BROWN 

of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  the  Rev.  G.  Brown,  Secretary 
of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Rev.  A.  A. 
Maclaren  of  the  Anglo-Australian  Board  of  Missions  : 

".We  regret  the  misunderstanding  that  has  arisen  with 
respect  to  the  field  of  labour  to  be  occupied  by  the  respective 
Societies,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Louisiades  and  adjacent 
islands  were  suggested  to  the  Anglo-Australian  Board  of 
Missions  by  the  late  Protectorate  Government  as  a  suitable 
field  in  which  to  commence  mission  work,  and  that  they  had 
been  preparing  to  accept  them  ;  whilst,  in  ignorance  of  this, 
the  same  field,  together  with  the  north-east  coast  of  New 
Guinea  from  Mitre  Rock  to  East  Cape,  had  also  been  sug- 
gested in  a  memorandum  of  the  Government  Secretary  to  the 
Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  of  Australasia,  and  accepted  by 
them  as  their  field  of  labour,  whilst  the  directors  and  mission- 
aries of  the  London  Missionary  Society  still  desired  to  retain 
the  north-east  coast  as  part  of  their  existing  mission. 

"  2.  That,  in  consideration  of  the  foregoing  facts,  so  as  to 
use  to  the  best  advantage  for  the  native  population  the  force 
available  for  mission  purposes,  and  in  order  to  prevent  as  far 
as  possible  further  complications  re  missionary  boundaries,  we 
express  the  opinion  that,  as  the  missionaries  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  have  agreed  to  make  the  boundary  of 
their  Mission  at  Ducie  Cape,  on  the  north-east  coast,  that 
the  Anglican  Mission  should  occupy  the  coast  from  Cape  Ducie 
to  Mitre  Rock  on  the  north-east  coast  of  New  Guinea,  and 
that  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  should  occupy  the  whole 
of  the  outlying  islands  with  the  exception  of  those  islands  lying 
west  of  Rocky  Pass,  on  the  south-east  coast  of  New  Guinea. 

"  3.  That  these  recommendations  be  respectfully  submitted 
to  the  respective  Missionary  Boards  for  their  consideration 
and  approval." 

These  resolutions  were  afterwards  adopted  by  the  respective 
Societies  after  a  slight  alteration  in  boundaries  had  been  made, 
so  as  to  provide  that  at  least  one  station  on  the  mainland  of 
New  Guinea  should  be  allotted  to  our  Society. 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA      469 

I  wrote  afterwards  a  long  account  of  this  my  first  journey 
to  New  Guinea,  and  the  very  interesting  experiences  which 
I  had  during  the  weeks  which  I  passed  on  board  the  Merrie 
England,  and  with  the  missionaries  on  shore,  but  I  can  only 
now  give  a  short  outline  of  our  travels. 

On  the  Thursday  after  my  arrival,  Rev.  H.  M.  Dauncey, 
Mr.  Lawes'  colleague,  accompanied  me  on  my  journey  inland 
as  far  as  the  Laroki  River.  When  I  expressed  a  wish  to  see 
a  little  of  the  country  inland  during  my  stay  at  Port  Moresby, 
Mr.  Lawes  and  Mr.  Dauncey  at  once  made  all  necessary, 
arrangements,  and  we  started  with  a  well-equipped  party  for 
a  three  days'  camp-out.  I  have  had  a  pretty  good  experience 
in  these  matters,  but  if  ever  it  should  be  my  lot  to  go  again 
on  any  such  expedition,  and  Mrs.  Lawes  would  again  take 
the  management,  as  she  did  on  this  occasion,  I  should  certainly 
not  allow  any  one  else  to  interfere.  No  one  knew  better  what 
was  needed  than  she  did,  and  no  one  could  possibly  have 
shown  greater  kindness  in  providing  for  all  our  wants  than 
the  good  lady  whose  name  was  a  household  word  in  New 
Guinea,  for  her  unwearying  kindness  to  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men  who  were  brought  from  time  to  time  to  the  mission 
house  at  Port  Moresby. 

We  camped  on  the  bank  of  the  Laroki,  and  kept  a  sharp 
lookout  for  crocodiles,  but  did  not  get  a  shot,  though  several 
were  seen  by  our  natives  when  we  were  not  at  hand.  I  was 
anxious  also  to  get  a  specimen  of  the  bird  of  paradise,  but, 
unfortunately,  we  were  not  able  to  find  one,  though  we  were 
out  each  morning  and  evening  looking  for  them.  Birds 
were  not  very  plentiful,  and  we  got  only  a  few  specimens. 
On  the  day  we  left,  however,  one  of  our  boys  got  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  large  crested  Goura  pigeon,  which  I  managed 
to  preserve  after  we  reached  the  station  on  Saturday  night. 

On  Sunday  I  preached  in  the  little  English  church  at 
Port  Moresby.  I  also  attended  the  native  service,  and  was 
much  pleased  with  what  I  saw.  The  people  are  not  so  dark 
in  colour  as  are  New  Britain  and  Solomon  Islanders ;  in  fact, 


470  GEORGE    BROWN 

on  looking  at  some  of  the  nicely  dressed  students'  wives  at 
the  morning  service,  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that  they  were 
not  some  of  the  Polynesians  amongst  whom  I  had  lived  for 
so  many  (years.  In  the  background,  however,  were  numbers 
of  people  who  apparently  were  still  under  the  impression  that 
dress  was  not  an  essential  either  for  everyday  life  or  for 
public  worship.  The  women,  however,  wore  long  grass  girdles, 
which  placed  them,  in  this  respect,  a  long  way  in  advance  of 
our  New  Britain  women. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  the  Governor  examined  the  students 
in  Mr.  Lawes'  Training  Institution,  and  also  the  school  in  the 
large  village.  He  was  well  pleased  with  the  results  of  his 
examination,  and  in  a  few  kindly  words  did  much  to  encourage 
both  teachers  and  students.  But  the  best  of  all  was  a  gift 
which  was  received  from  him  at  the  mission  house  next  day. 
This  was  given  to  provide  a  feast  for  the  more  deserving  of 
the  pupils  in  all  stages  of  education.  Mrs.  Lawes,  with  very 
characteristic  energy,  took  this  important  matter  in  hand  at 
once.  A  picnic  was  decided  upon,  and,  of  course,  pigs  (which 
take  the  place  in  New  Guinea  of  tea  and  cakes)  had  to  be 
bought  I  had  never  seen  a  pig  about  Port  Moresby,  and 
they  are  always  a  scarce  article  there,  but  very  soon  three 
of  them  were  brought,  carefully  inspected,  and  bargained  for ; 
and  so  on  June  20  we  all  went  with  the  excited  but  merry 
youngsters  to  a  nice  beach  some  few  miles  away.  It  was 
little  wonder  that  the  outing  was  a  most  pleasant  one.  Given 
a  beautiful  day,  a  beautiful  beach,  lots  of  children,  plenty  of 
games,  with  Revs.  Messrs.  Walker,  Dauncey,  and  Maclaren  and 
Captain  Hennessey  of  the  Merrie  England,  all  celibates  at  that 
time,  and  full  of  fun,  to  organise  them,  a  good  luncheon  under  a 
few  shady  trees  for  the  whites,  and  three  pigs  and  two  cwt. 
of  rice  for  the  children,  and  lots  of  prizes  to  be  competed 
for — the  picnic  was  certain  to  be  a  success ;  and  such  it 
undoubtedly  was.  The  tug-of-war  was  the  most  popular,  but 
foot  races  and  jumping  also  formed  part  of  the  programme. 
Then  the  natives  also  had  one  of  their  own  games,  which  they 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       471 

enjoyed,  but  which  seemed  to  us  a  very  rough  one,  though 
very  pretty.  First  a  lot  of  girls  formed  themselves  into  a 
compact  body  on  the  beach.  This  was  supposed  to  represent 
a  ship.  They  commenced  singing,  while  the  young  men  and 
boys  went  and  provided  themselves  with  small  branches,  which 
they  waved  over  their  heads,  making  a  hissing  noise,  which 
was  supposed  to  represent  a  gale  of  wind.  Then,  advancing 
from  a  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  they  came 
on,  gradually  increasing  the  pace,  until  they  all  rushed  at  once 
upon  the  interlocked  body  of  girls  with  the  object  of  breaking 
them  apart,  and  so  destroying  the  ship.  The  game  then 
resembled  a  regular  hard  scrimmage  at  football.  The  girls 
stood  firm  for  awhile,  but  gradually  the  superior  weight  of 
the  attacking  force  prevailed,  and  the  ship  was  broken  up. 
One  girl  hurt  her  knee,  and  had  to  be  assisted  from  the  beach. 
The  boys  then  formed  the  ship,  and  the  girls  represented  the 
storm,  but  failed  to  break  the  ship,  though  for  some  time  the 
issue  was  very  doubtful.  All  the  party,  young  and  old,  white 
and  natives,  thoroughly  enjoyed  themselves,  and  spent  a  most 
pleasant  day. 

On  Monday,  June  23,  we  left  Port  Moresby  for  Kerepunu, 
where  we  arrived  at  4  p.m.,  and  soon  afterwards  went  on 
shore  with  Mr.  Pearce,  who  came  off  to  the  ship  and  took 
us  all  to  the  mission  house.  The  natives  are  of  a  darkish 
brown  colour,  with  frizzy,  curly  hair.  The  women  are  tattooed, 
and  all  dressed  in  the  long  grass  skirt.  As  soon  as  we  landed 
the  Governor  examined  the  schools,  and  I  think  was  much 
pleased  with  the  results.  Afterwards  he  addressed  some  kindly 
words  to  the  chiefs  and  people,  earnestly  advising  them  to  see 
that  the  children  attended  school  regularly,  that  all  should 
observe  the  Lord's  day,  and  that  they  must  live  in  peace  with 
each  other  and  the  neighbouring  tribes.  He  strongly  impressed 
upon  them  the  fact  that  equal  justice  would  be  shown  by 
the  Government  to  all  people  in  New  Guinea,  and  that  there 
would  be  no  distinction  in  the  administration  of  law  between 
white  and  black,  that  any  injustice  committed  against  them 


472  GEORGE    BROWN 

by  a  white  man  would  be  punished,  and  that  any  wrongs 
done  by  them  (the  natives)  against  whites  would  be  similarly 
dealt  with.  Altogether  it  was  an  address  well  calculated  to 
do  good,  and  I  give  it  here  as  a  sample  of  the  addresses  given 
by  His  Excellency  at  all  the  places  we  visited. 

I  was  much  interested  at  Kerepunu  in  seeing  the  native 
carpenters  working  with  stone  adzes.  .  Six  men  were  hollow- 
ing out  a  large  canoe.  They  stood  two  and  two,  facing 
each  other,  on  each  side  of  the  large  log,  and  each  man  struck 
an  alternate  blow  to  that  given  by  his  partner,  much  like  a 
blacksmith  and  the  striker  at  the  anvil  ;  and  they  certainly 
made  the  chips  fly  fast.  We  were  only  a  few  days'  distance 
in  time  from  the  nineteenth-century  civilisation  in  Queensland, 
and  yet  amongst  a  people  still  living  in  the  stone  age. 

Still  proceeding  down  the  south  coast,  we  next  called  at 
Aroma,  on  June  25.  The  name  of  the  village  where  we  landed 
was  Parramatta,  which  is  also  the  native  name  of  a  well-known 
town  near  Sydney.  There  was  a  native  teacher  stationed 
there,  and  evidently  a  very  large  population.  From  Parramatta 
we  walked  for  about  a  mile  and  three-quarters  along  the 
beach,  attended  by  a  great  crowd  of  natives,  to  Maopa,  by  far 
the  largest  village  we  had  visited,  and  got  some  idea  of  the 
dense  population  of  that  district.  The  town  consisted  of  about 
two  hundred  houses,  all  built  very  closely  together,  and  arranged 
in  very  narrow  streets.  The  chief's  name  was  Koapena,  and 
for  a  New  Guinean  chief  he  appeared  to  have  considerable 
influence.  A  photo  which  I  took  of  him  gives  a  fair  idea  of 
his  personal  appearance,  but  scales  and  weights  would  be 
necessary  before  any  proper  idea  could  be  suggested  of  his 
capacity  for  food  when  a  good  opportunity  occurred,  as  was 
the  case  during  our  visit. 

The  Dubu,  or  sacred  meeting-place,  was  adorned,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  natives,  by  some  human  skulls,  which  swayed 
about  in  the  wind  from  the  cords  by  which  they  were  suspended. 
The  Governor  requested  that  these  should  be  buried,  but  as 
no  one  seemed  willing  to  do  this — for  fear,  I  suppose,  of 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA      473 

some  misfortune  afterwards — a  party  of  the  men,  with  Mr. 
English,  the  magistrate  who  accompanied  us,  took  them  down 
and  buried  them,  the  natives  offering  no  opposition.  I  noticed 
here  that  a  great  many  of  the  people  had  their  faces  and  bodies 
blackened,  the  universal  sign  of  mourning  in  all  the  islands. 
The  women  were  heavily  tattooed  over  face  and  body. 

On  Friday,  June  27,  we  reached  the  small  island  of  Toulon, 
the  native  name  of  which  is  Mairu.  The  village  consisted  of 
some  eighty-three  houses,  built  on  both  sides  of  the  one  street. 
They  were  of  the  shape  usual  in  this  part  of  New  Guinea, 
built  on  high  posts,  with  a  platform  in  front,  and  an  upper 
storey,  reached  through  a  trap  door  from  the  main  room. 
They  were  about  thirty  feet  long,  and  twenty-seven  feet  high 
to  the  top  of  the  steep  roof. 

On  the  following  day,  June  28,  we  anchored  at  Suau  (Stacey 
Island).  The  dress  of  the  men  at  this  place  varied  somewhat 
from  the  small  string  or  bandage  worn  farther  west,  which 
is  here  changed  to  the  pandanus  leaf.  Suau  is  the  station  once 
occupied  by  the  late  Rev.  James  Chalmers,  and  is  associated 
with  some  of  the  stirring  events  of  his  early  pioneer  experiences 
in  New  Guinea. 

On  Sunday,  June  29,  we  anchored  at  Samarai  (Dinner 
Island).  As  we  neared  the  island  I  got  the  first  sight  of  the 
islands  which  it  was  proposed  should  form  part  of  our  District, 
and  was  much  pleased  with  all  I  saw.  The  islands  at  the 
east  end  are  much  more  green  and  bright  than  those  in 
the  west  and  the  mainland.  We  went  on  shore,  and  I  remained 
most  of  the  day  at  the  house  of  the  late  Hon.  B.  A.  Hely,  who 
was  then  the  Government  Resident  and  Magistrate  of  the  Eastern 
District.  Rev.  A.  A.  Maclaren  conducted  service  and  preached 
to  the  ship's  company  and  some  visitors  from  the  shore  and 
the  ships  in  port.  Samarai  is  only  a  small  island,  but  is  of 
importance  as  being  the  residence  of  the  Government  Officer 
in  charge  of  the  District,  and  the  only  port  of  entry  for  that 
part  of  the  possession. 

Monday,  June   30,  we    left   Samarai    early,   and    steamed 


474  GEORGE    BROWN 

through  the  beautiful  Mayri  Passage.  In  a  short  time  we 
opened  up  the  splendid  bay  called  Milne  Bay.  We  landed 
at  Killerton  Island,  and  spent  a'short  time  there,  and,  as  usual, 
had  a  heavy  downpour  of  rain.  It  is  very  singular  that  the 
months  which  are  the  dry  season  everywhere  else  in  the  South 
Pacific  should  be  the  rainy  season  in  that  eastern  end  of  New 
Guinea.  So  far  as  I  could  learn,  the  rainy  season  is  from  June 
to  September,  and  fine  weather  and  calms  from  October  to 
January  inclusive. 

After  leaving  Killerton  we  anchored  at  Mita  in  Milne  Bay 
about  2  p.m.  Most  of  the  canoes  there,  I  noticed,  have  no  out- 
riggers. The  Merrie  England,  with  the  Governor,  Mr.  Winter, 
the  chief  judicial  officer,  and  Mr.  Hely,  had  to  return  to 
Samarai  on  official  business,  and  for  coal  ;  but  as  a  party 
were  to  remain  I  elected  to  remain  with  them,  so  as  to  see 
as  much  of  the  mainland  natives  as  was  possible.  We  were 
given  a  good  native  house  raised  on  piles,  and  were  very 
comfortable.  The  house  was  about  thirty  feet  long  by  twelve  feet 
wide.  Sir  William,  amongst  many  other  special  qualifications 
for  his  office,  was  an  indefatigable  collector  and  explorer,  and 
all  who  sailed  with  him  were  expected  to  do  their  best  to 
pick  up  something,  so  that  as  soon  as  the  vessel  left  we  all 
started  out ;  but  I  had  no  success.  We  could  not  speak  the 
language  ;  the  natives  did  not  then  know  what  we  wanted  ;  and 
I  got  led  away  amongst  swamps  and  native  gardens,  where 
there  was  nothing  to  get  in  the  short  time  before  dark  which 
was  at  our  disposal.  It  was  some  little  satisfaction  to  me  to 
find  that  none  of  the  others  had  been  any  more  successful. 
I  know  this  was  wrong  ;  but  after  tramping  through  mud 
swamps  and  getting  one's  skin  torn  with  the  bush  lawyer 
vines,  human  frailties  are  generally  strongly  developed  ! 

At  night  I  was  much  pleased  to  sec  the  natives  gather 
together  for  evening  prayer,  in  a  shed  just  outside  the  house 
which  we  occupied.  There  was  no  teacher  there,  but  lakopo 
the  chief,  and  his  brothers,  acted  as  such,  and  were  certainly 
very  successful.  About  seventy  people  assembled  when  the 


u 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA      475 

call  was  made.     They  sang  one  or  two  hymns  to  some  of  our 
own  tunes  ;  lakopo  gave  an  address,  and  then  called  upon  one 
of  his  brothers  to  pray.     It  was  a  most  cheering  sight  to  me 
to  see  these  poor  people  so  gathered  together.     It  was  only 
an    old    shed    in   which  they  worshipped  ;  there  was    no   light 
except  that  of  the  moon  outside  and  the  flickering  gleam  from 
a  small  fire  inside  the  shed  ;  the  people  were  but  very  scantily 
dressed  ;  the  language  used   was  an  unknown  one  to  us,  and 
probably  the  speaker  knew  only  the   very   rudiments   of  the 
Christian  faith ;  but  I  felt  that  God,  the  Great  Father  of  all, 
was  there,  and  the  feeble  utterances  of  the  old  New  Guinea 
chief  brought  hope  and  strength  to  one  who  could  catch  only 
a  word  or  two  occasionally,  not  sufficient  indeed   to  indicate 
the  tenor  of  the  remarks,  but  quite  enough  to  show  that  lakopo 
in  his  own  way  was  teaching  his  people  the  same  great  truths 
which  are  preached  to  all  men  as  the  rule  of  life  and  character, 
for   time   and   for   eternity,  for   the  life  that  now   is   and    for 
that  which   is  to  come.     I  was  indeed  much  pleased  with  all 
that  I  saw  and  heard,  especially  as  I  knew  that  this  was  not 
done  simply  because  we  white  men  were  present,  but  that  the 
morning  and  evening  prayers  were  regularly  attended  by  most 
of  the  people  in  the  village.     After  our  own  evening  prayer 
the  natives  sang  some  hymns  outside  in  the  moonlight.     They 
had  no  books,  but  the  words  seemed   familiar   to   them,  and 
I  did  not  once  hear  them  stop  because  they  "could  not  re- 
member the  next  verse."     One  of  the  most  cheering  statements 
made  to  me  in  Port  Moresby  by  Mr.  Lawes  was  that  the  New 
Guinea  converts   made  first-rate  teachers   amongst   their   own 
people  ;  and  my  experience  at  Mita  went  far  to  confirm  this. 

Next  morning  we  all  started  early  on  a  shooting  expedition 
inland.  The  day  was  wet  and  gloomy,  so  that  we  were  not 
very  successful  in  finding  birds,  but  we  had  a  very  fair  sample 
of  New  Guinea  roads  and  mud.  We  first  traversed  the  low, 
flat  lands  near  the  coast,  wading  through  thick  mud  and  water, 
crossing  some  small  streams,  then  across  some  of  the  sticky 
plantations,  with  occasional  patches  of  very  high,  thick  grass, 


476  GEORGE    BROWN 

through  which  we  had  to  force  our  way,  guarding  ears  and 
face  with  arms  and  elbows  held  at  right  angles  to  the  head. 
After  this  we  had  a  long  climb  up  a  slippery  track,  under 
occasional  heavy  showers  of  rain,  until  we  reached  an  altitude  of 
about  twelve  hundred  feet.  It  was  pretty  hard  work,  especially  as 
we  were  not  favoured  with  a  sight  of  the  birds  which  we  went 
to  seek.  We  heard  the  well-known  cry  of  the  bird  of  paradise 
occasionally,  but  the  birds  themselves  had  sense  enough  to 
keep  quietly  under  shelter  in  such  weather.  Our  boys  got 

great  fun  out  of  our  naturalist,  Mr.  H ,  especially  when  he 

went  into  ecstasies  at  the  sight  of  a  tiny  land-shell  which 
was  handed  to  him.  I  felt  certain,  from  old  experiences,  that 
the  remarks  made  by  them  about  his  sanity  in  coming  so 
far  to  seek  such  objects  as  he  was  evidently  so  deeply  interested 
in,  were  neither  favourable  nor  flattering.  However,  he  smiled 
very  pleasantly  at  them.  None  of  us  knew  what  they  were 
saying,  and  they  worked  very  well  for  him,  so  that  he  alone 
of  all  the  party  congratulated  himself  on  having  made  a  good 
bag.  The  day  which  was  so  unfavourable  for  us  was  a  grand 
hunting  day  for  land-shells  and  "  molluks "  of  all  kinds,  as 
they  were  irreverently  called  by  some  of  our  party. 

Just  after  noon  we  began  to  descend,  and  were  soon  holding 
on  by  branch  and  tree  as  we  worked  down  one  of  the  steep 
spurs  of  the  range.  After  this  we  had  to  walk  for  some 
distance  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  if  any  one  wishes  to  know 
what  difficult  walking  is,  I  would  advise  him  to  walk  down 
and  across  one  of  those  mountain  streams  in  New  Guinea 
some  distance  from  the  coast.  After  a  good  walk  across 
slippery  stones  and  large  boulders,  through  a  rushing  stream 
and  deepish  pools,  with  an  occasional  climb  up  the  muddy 
bank,  and  a  short  cut  across  the  bends  in  mud  over  the  ankles, 
and  with  lots  of  bush  lawyer  vines  asking  him  to  "  wait  a  bit " 
every  now  and  then,  or  clothes  would  be  torn  and  skin  scratched, 
we  were  glad  to  get  to  level  ground  again  and  sit  down  to 
rest  in  a  plantation  through  which  we  were  passing.  One  of 
the  boys  found  an  old  cocoanut,  which  he  speedily  husked  and 


MARINE    VILLAGE,    TUPUSELEI. 


POTTERY-MAKING,    PORT    MORESBY. 


477 

began  to  eat,  and,  with  a  reckless  defiance  of  the  demon  of 
indigestion,  I  joined  in,  for  one  great  compensation  for  the 
discomfort  of  those  bush  walks  is  the  good  appetite  which 
is  in  most  cases  gained.  After  we  had  pretty  well  finished 
the  cocoanut,  I  made  a  great  impression  on  the  natives  by 
putting  a  good  specimen  of  my  friend  Dr.  Slate's  dentistry 
to  a  use  which,  I  am  sure,  he  never  contemplated  when  he 
exercised  his  skill  in  its  production.  I  went  through  the 
pretence  of  twisting  and  pulling  very  forcibly  the  aforesaid 
work  of  art,  and  then  succeeded,  after  many  contortions,  in 
extracting  before  their  very  eyes  the  whole  of  the  teeth  under 
which  the  junk  of  cocoanut  had  just  disappeared.  I  then 
showed  them  the  empty  mouth,  and  with  an  apparent  great 
effort  put  the  teeth  back,  and  proceeded,  amid  great  exclamations 
of  wonder,  to  grind  up  the  last  remains  of  the  cocoanut.  I 
very  calmly  offered  to  repeat  the  operation  upon  any  of  them, 
but  both  hands  were  at  once  firmly  placed  over  the  mouth 
of  the  youngsters  I  proposed  to  take  in  hand  ;  and  I  am  sure 
that  if  I  had  pressed  my  offer  they  would  all  have  bolted,  and 
left  us  in  the  bush.  All  the  evening  after  our  return  they 
were  talking  of  it,  and  I  saw  the  lads  who  were  with  us  pointing 
me  out  to  the  others,  and  going  through  the  movements  which 
I  had  made.  At  last  I  had  to  repeat  the  operation  before 
the  whole  crowd,  and  loud  were  the  exclamations  of  wonder, 
not  unmixed  with  fear,  which  came  from  all  sides.  I  again 
very  pleasantly  offered  to  operate  on  one  of  the  lads,  but  on 
reaching  out  my  hand  to  lay  hold  of  him  he  fairly  bolted,  amid 
the  laughter  of  all  the  crowd. 

On  Wednesday  we  were  all  out  early  in  the  morning  and 
went  through  the  same  experience  of  trudging  muddy  roads, 
wading  creeks,  climbing  the  range,  and  walking  in  pouring 
rain.  It  is  said  to  rain  more  in  Milne  Bay  than  in  any  other 
part  of  New  Guinea.  I  thought  that  my  third  day  out  was 
going  to  be  as  fruitless  as  the  others,  but  just  as  we  were 
about  to  descend  from  the  range  I  got  my  first  shot  at  a 
bird  of  paradise.  It  was  a  long  shot,  but  fortunately  I  secured 


478  GEORGE    BROWN 

it,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  skinning  it  after  we  reached  Mita 
in  the  evening.  The  Governor  returned  from  Samarai  in  the 
afternoon  in  the  Merrie  England ;  and  next  day,  as  the  steamer 
had  again  grounded,  the  steam  launch  was  got  ready,  and  a  party 
of  us  started  to  visit  as  many  places  as  we  could  in  Milne  Bay. 
We  called  first  at  Ralei,  but  found  most  of  the  people  were 
absent  at  the  feast  at  Mita.  We  then  crossed  the  bay,  about 
six  miles  in  width,  to  a  village  which,  strange  to  say,  bears 
what  was  to  those  of  us  who  were  from  New  South  Wales, 
the  familiar  name  of  Wagga  Wagga.  Milne  Bay  is  said  to 
be  very  unhealthy,  but  it  is  certainly  very  beautiful.  We  got 
back  to  the  ship  at  6  p.m.,  and  soon  afterwards,  much  to  our 
delight,  the  Merrie  England  floated  off  into  deep  water  again, 
and  we  were  soon  speeding  merrily  along  to  Samarai,  where 
we  anchored  about  half-past  nine. 

On  Friday,  July  4,  we  left  Samarai  early,  and  had  a  fine 
run  to  Ware  (Teste  Island),  where  we  landed  at  1 1  a.m.,  and 
there  for  the  first  time  I  was  actually  on  shore  in  our  proposed 
District.  Ware  is  a  small  island,  with  a  number  of  very 
picturesque  islets  about  it.  As  we  were  nearing  the  island 
we  passed  a  large  canoe  under  full  sail.  These  people  are 
great  traders,  and  Ware  must  always  be  an  important  station, 
as  the  people  are  so  well  known  in  the  other  groups,  and  of 
course  are  very  useful  as  interpreters  and  pilots.  I  think  the 
Governor  did  not  intend  to  visit  Ware,  but,  with  his  accus- 
tomed kindness,  he  went  there  in  order  that  I  might  see  the 
island. 

During  the  next  few  days  we  visited  the  Conflict  Group, 
passing  Basilaki,  Slade,  Bentley,  and  a  number  of  other  islands, 
to  St.  Aignaud  Island  (Misima)  on  July  5.  From  there  we 
passed  through  the  large  Calvados  chain  of  islands,  and 
anchored  at  Sudest  on  July  7.  We  landed  early  the  following 
morning,  as  the  Governor  intended  to  cross  the  island.  The 
track  inland  led  over  very  fine,  grassy,  undulating  country, 
with  thick  bush  in  the  ravines  and  gullies,  forming  a  very 
beautiful  park-like  country,  and  the  walk  was  very  enjoyable. 


.-'. 


>^£XS 

m^m 


< 

TWO    NEW    GUINEA    WARRIORS,    PORT    MORESBY    DISTRICT. 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       479 

I  noticed  many  fine  specimens  of  the  curious  pitcher-plants 
as  we  passed  along.  After  crossing  the  open  country  we  began 
to  ascend  the  main  range,  which  is  covered  with  thick  bush. 
About  half  way  across  the  island  our  party  divided,  the 
Governor  and  a  small  party  going  on,  whilst  the  others  were 
left  to  collect,  and  await  his  return.  Mr.  Maclaren  and  I  stayed 
with  the  latter  party,  and  found  our  way  to  one  of  the  small 
hamlets,  where  we  were  to  await  the  Governor's  return.  I 
had  a  curious  experience  one  day  when  I  was  out  shooting  on 
this  island.  I  was  passing  over  some  open  grass  country  when 
I  saw  some  white  object  in  the  distance,  which  I  at  first  took 
to  be  some  new  kind  of  pitcher-plant.  On  reaching  it,  however, 
I  found  it  to  be  a  leaflet  extolling  the  virtues  of  Keating's 
cough  lozenges.  Up  to  that  time  I  had  thought  that  no  white 
man  had  been  there  before,  but  some  prospector  had  evidently 
been  ahead  of  me.  It  was  quite  interesting  to  pick  up  that 
reminder  of  civilisation  in  such  an  out-of-the-way  place. 

On  Wednesday,  July  9,  we  reached  Rossell  Island.  Rossell 
is  but  little  known  compared  with  the  other  islands  of  the 
Louisiades.  It  is,  indeed,  the  outpost  of  that  group,  and  is 
not  more  than  180  or  200  miles  from  the  Solomons.  It  has 
long  borne  an  evil  character,  because  of  the  wreck  of  the 
St.  Paul  there  some  years  ago.  A  number  of  the  crew  of 
that  vessel,  and  some  three  hundred  Chinamen,  were  killed 
and  eaten  by  the  natives,  only  two  of  the  survivors  being 
rescued  by  the  French  ship-of-war  Styx.  It  is  said  that 
the  Chinese  passengers  were  confined  on  an  island,  and  killed 
at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  per  day.  The  natives  at  first  were 
very  shy.  When  we  landed  we  found  all  the  houses  deserted, 
and  all  our  efforts  to  communicate  with  them  were  unavailing. 
All  we  could  do  was  to  get  our  interpreter  to  sing  out  as 
loudly  as  he  could,  and  to  leave  some  presents  in  their  deserted 
houses.  On  the  following  day  the  Governor,  with  Mr.  Maclaren 
and  a  boat's  crew,  started  for  a  journey  up  the  north  coast  The 
rest  of  our  party,  including  Mr.  Winter,  the  chief  judicial  officer, 
Mr.  Moreton,  and  myself,  went  in  the  steam  launch,  with  the 


480  GEORGE    BROWN 

dinghy  in  tow.  We  first  visited  High  Island,  lying  off  the  port, 
and  then  steamed  round  the  bay.  We  could  not  get  near  the 
people  on  the  island,  but  on  the  mainland  we  succeeded  much 
better  ;  and  once  we  got  near  them  we  managed  quite  easily 
to  secure  their  confidence.  We  went  up  to  their  villages 
inland,  and  on  our  way  we  saw  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
this  island,  for,  instead  of  the  narrow  bush  tracks  which  we 
found  on  other  islands,  the  natives  on  Rossell  made  wide-open 
roads  through  the  bush,  and  kept  them  well  cleared  from  all 
trees  and  undergrowth.  It  was  quite  a  nice  change  for  us. 
When  we  reached  the  village  we  found  the  women  and  children 
had  all  fled,  and  they  did  not  come  back  during  our  stay, 
though  the  men  got  very  friendly  with  us.  To  those  who 
have  visited  Rossell  Island  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  it 
rained  nearly  all  day.  It  is  indeed  a  land  of  rain,  and  the 
dense  vegetation  affords  a  fine  field  for  the  botanist. 

On  Friday,  July  u,  we  started  early,  intending,  if  possible, 
to  get  to  the  top  of  the  coast  range.  The  natives  were  very 
friendly,  and  went  with  us  willingly,  but  the  rain  came  down 
in  such  force  that  we  had  to  halt  about  half  way  up,  in  the 
vain  hope  that  we  might  yet  have  a  few  hours  of  fine  weather. 
For  some  time  we  got  up  some  excitement  by  hunting  for 
land-shells  and  other  animals,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
Mr.  H.,  our  collector  of  "  molluks,"  who  always  got  most  in 
weather  such  as  we  then  had.  But  as  the  rain  poured  steadily 
do\vn  this  excitement  subsided,  and  even  the  discovery  of  a 
new  "  diplomatina,"  which  sent  Mr.  H.  into  an  ecstasy  of 
delight,  failed  to  arouse  us  at  last.  We  tried  in  vain  to  light 
a  fire,  and  at  last  had  to  retrace  our  steps,  fairly  beaten  by 
the  rain.  The  people  were  all  very  quiet  and  friendly,  and 
no  spears  were  seen  by  any  of  us  except  in  the  houses.  The 
language  is  very  full  of  nasal  sounds,  and  in  this  respect  differs 
from  those  we  heard  in  the  other  groups.  The  native  name  of 
the  island  is  Rowa. 

On  leaving  Rossell  we  called  at  Proclamation  Creek,  on 
Sud  Est,  and  landed  our  interpreter  ;  then  proceeded  to  the 


I 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA      481 

large  island  of  Misima  (St.  Aignaud),  and  from  there  to  Murua 
(Woodlark  Island),  where  we  arrived  on  July  14.  We  anchored 
at  Guisopa,  a  fine,  large,  safe  anchorage.  The  principal  island 
appeared  to  be  T-shaped — a  large  mountainous  range  at  the 
west  end,  and  then  a  long  leg  of  comparatively  low  land 
running  north  and  south.  We  saw  more  of  the  high,  single,  out- 
standing trees  on  the  ridges  here,  which  are  such  a  marked 
feature  in  the  other  groups  which  we  had  visited.  The  women 
and  children  remained  in  the  village  when  we  landed,  and 
all  were  very  friendly  indeed.  There  was,  however,  a  curious 
ceremony  performed  here.  I  was  standing  amongst  the  crowd 
when  one  of  the  principal  men  came  quietly  behind  me,  and 
before  I  knew  what  he  was  going  to  do,  he  blew  a  full  mouthful 
of  chewed  betel-nut,  masooi  bark,  and  spittle  over  me,  which 
fell  in  fine  spray  on  my  head,  neck,  and  shoulders.  The 
Governor  and  his  party,  as  I  found  out  afterwards,  had  been 
treated  in  the  same  manner  prior  to  my  arrival.  I  suspected 
the  reason  for  this  proceeding,  and  so  did  not  say  anything 
to  the  man.  It  was  done,  I  think,  to  guard  against  any  evil 
spirits  who  might  be  accompanying  us,  and  as  a  sign  of  amity, 
and  that  we  were  now  free  to  remain  and  trade. 

On  Tuesday,  July  15,  the  Governor  and  party  landed  to 
try  and  secure  some  men  who  were  accused  of  the  murder  of 
two  white  men  here  some  eight  months  ago.  I  did  not  go 
on  shore,  as  it  was  not  desirable  that  I  should  be  mixed  up 
in  any  affair  which,  however  right  and  proper,  might  affect 
prejudicially  our  subsequent  relations  with  the  people.  Mr. 
Maclaren  also  remained  on  board.  The  expedition  on  shore 
was  very  successful,  as  three  of  the  men  were  secured  without 
a  shot  being  fired. 

On  Thursday,  July  17,  we  left  Woodlark  at  6.30  a.m.  and 
reached  Lachlan  Islands  at  12.30.  This  is  a  most  beautiful 
group,  consisting  of  seven  islands,  which  form  an  almost 
complete  circle.  They  are  all  low,  sandy  islands,  full  of  cocoa- 
nuts.  At  low  water  it  is  practicable  to  walk  from  one  island 
to  all  the  others,  with  one  or  two  exceptions.  At  night  we 


482  GEORGE    BROWN 

went  ashore,  by  invitation  from  Mr.  Tetzlaff,  to  see  a  native 
dance,  but  it  was  a  very  tame  affair.  We  left  one  of  our 
interpreters  here.  We  had  been  teasing  him  often  on  board 
about  his  wife,  from  whom  he  had  been  absent  for  some  time  ; 
and  one  of  our  party,  who  was  still  fresh  to  the  habits  of 
South  Sea  Islanders,  was  very  anxious  to  witness  the  meeting 
between  the  long-absent  husband  and  the  sharer  of  his  joys 
and  sorrows.  He  was,  however,  very  much  disgusted  when 
Jack  marched  up  to  his  wife  and  children,  and  without  one 
word  of  recognition  or  sign  of  joy  from  either  side,  coolly 
touched  her  with  his  hand  and  said :  "  Here  she  is.  This 
woman  belong  me,  pickaninny  belong  me."  The  utter  absence 
of  sentiment  or  gush  was  very  disappointing. 

On  Friday,  July  18,  we  returned  to  Woodlark  Island  on 
the  north  coast.  After  some  time  spent  in  examining  the 
island,  we  left  there  on  July  20,  and  soon  passed  close  to  the 
islands  of  Gawa  and  Kivoiruata.  These  two  are  of  the  same 
shape  and  formation,  though  the  latter  is  much  smaller  than 
the  former.  The  Governor  was  not  at  all  well,  and  so  desired 
to  land  at  the  next  island,  Ewe  or  Journey  Island  ;  but 
though  we  passed  close  to  it  we  could  not  get  anchorage, 
even  when  quite  close  to  the  beach.  The  high  coral  cliffs  of  the 
island  spring  right  out  of  the  deep  blue  water,  and  are  almost 
perpendicular.  It  was  a  most  beautiful  sight  as  we  steamed 
quite  close  to  those  high  cliffs  on  a  calm  sea  and  under  a 
bright,  sunny  sky.  In  many  places  the  cliffs  have  large  cracks 
and  caves  in  them,  and  in  several  places  we  could  see  large 
stalactites  hanging  over  the  sea-face  of  the  cliff.  With  good 
fenders  out  it  seemed  to  be  quite  practicable  in  some  places 
to  take  a  large  ship  alongside  the  island,  and  moor  her.  In 
many  parts  we  saw  long  ladders  reaching  down  from  the  first 
terrace  of  the  shore-line,  which  seemed  to  be  the  only  means 
by  which  natives  could  reach  the  shore  or  return  from  it  inland. 
The  natives  were  running  about  on  a  reef,  which  ran  out 
from  one  end  of  the  island,  whilst  others  in  canoes  joined 
with  them  in  urging  us  to  anchor ;  but  with  no  bottom  at 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       483 

forty-five  fathoms,  we  had  to  steam  away,  much  to  their  dis- 
appointment, and  to  ours  also. 

These  islands  had  evidently  been  formed  during  a  long 
period  of  subsidence  followed  by  another  of  upheaval,  which  is 
still,  I  believe,  going  on.  We  reached  Kitawa,  or  Jurien  Island, 
about  3.30,  and  after  spending  some  time  there  steamed 
over  to  the  large  island  of  the  Trobriand  Group,  and  came 
to  anchor  about  noon,  at  a  large  village  called  Kadawaga. 
There  were  about  two  hundred  houses  in  the  village,  of  which 
I  took  four  photographs.  We  were  told  that  the  most  populous 
village  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  where  there  is  no 
anchorage.  I  fancied  that  I  could  detect  more  similarity 
between  the  New  Britain  language  and  that  spoken  by  those 
people  than  in  any  other  dialect  which  we  had  heard.  Some 
of  the  words  indeed  were  exactly  similar. 

The  following  day  the  Governor  called  me  up  on  deck 
in  the  early  morning  to  hear  the  call  of  the  Manucodia.  It 
was  very  sweet  indeed,  and  reminded  me  very  much  of 
the  sound  made  by  the  bell  of  a  leading  mule  or  pack-horse, 
when  heard  some  distance  away ;  or  perhaps  a  better  illustra- 
tion would  be  the  tinkling  sound  of  a  church  bell.  But,  after 
all,  no  simile  can  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  sweet  sound. 
It  is  the  call  of  the  Manucodia,  and  nothing  else. 

After  leaving  the  Trobriands  we  found  the  navigation  very 
difficult,  owing  to  thick  weather  and  many  reefs  and  shallow 
patches,  and  we  were  all  glad  to  reach  Moresby  Strait,  with 
Goodenough  Island  on  the  right  and  Ferguson  Island  on  the 
left  hand.  Goodenough  is  very  steep  at  this  part,  two  of  its 
peaks  being  seven  thousand  feet  high.  There  are  large  tracts 
of  open  country  covered  with  bright,  coarse  grass  on  the 
mountain  sides,  with  lines  of  forest  in  the  valleys  and  other 
parts  of  the  range.  In  the  early  morning  this  land  presented 
a  most  gorgeous  combination  of  colours,  large  black  patches 
of  burnt  grass  contrasting  with  the  deep  brown  of  the  cultiva- 
tions, and  with  green  of  every  shade  on  the  grassy  slopes 
and  in  the  dense  forests.  On  the  coast  the  land  was  low 


484  GEORGE    BROWN 

and  densely  wooded,  forming,  as  it  were,  a  sombre  frame, 
which  gave  additional  beauty  to  the  lovely  picture  above 
it.  The  whole  scene,  indeed,  from  the  deck  of  the  Merrie 
England  was  extremely  beautiful.  On  our  right  was  the 
picture  1  have  attempted  to  describe  ;  in  front  was  the  end 
of  Goodenough,  or  rather  of  Dodogessa  Island,  rising  into  a 
conical  mountain,  which  is  evidently  an  old  crater  at  its  extreme 
end  ;  whilst  behind  that,  in  the  far  distance,  we  could  see 
the  mainland  of  New  Guinea.  On  the  left  was  Mount  Maybole, 
on  Ferguson  Island,  rising  almost  from  the  water's  edge,  its 
steep  sides  covered  with  dense  forest,  whilst  in  some  places 
the  land  seems  to  have  fallen  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
highest  peaks  for  two-thirds  of  their  entire  height,  thus  leaving 
immense  precipices  on  the  side  of  the  range.  A  unique  bird 
of  paradise,  which  is  very  valuable,  is  found  on  Mount  Maybole. 
As  we  passed  through  the  Strait  we  could  see  the  smoke,  and 
certainly  could  smell  the  odour,  from  the  sulphur  hills  in 
Seymour  Bay. 

After  clearing  Moresby  Strait  we  had  a  quick  run  over  to 
Chads  Bay,  on  the  mainland,  reaching  our  anchorage  at  4  p.m. 
This  is  the  place  where  two  of  the  natives  who  murdered 
Mr.  Ancell  were  hanged,  an  event  which  did  more  to  quieten 
this  end  of  New  Guinea  than  any  other  means.  The  Governor 
landed  first  in  the  dinghy,  in  order  that  the  people  might  not 
be  alarmed  if  they  saw  a  large  boat's  crew  going  on  shore. 
At  this  place  I  had  to  leave  the  Merrie  England,  as  the 
Governor  found  that  he  could  not  possibly  visit  the  north-east 
coast  of  the  mainland  and  the  D'Entrecasteaux  Group  also, 
on  which  latter  group  I  had  not  been  able  to  land.  It  was 
absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  visit  the  north-east  coast, 
whilst  it  was  also  necessary  that  I  should  see  the  largest  and 
most  important  group  in  the  district  allotted  to  us  before  I 
left  New  Guinea.  In  order  that  these  objects  might  be 
accomplished,  Sir  William  very  kindly  proposed  that  I  should 
return  at  once  to  Samarai  in  the  Merrie  England  with  Mr. 
Hely,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  party  at  Chad's  Bay  ;  that  he 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       485 

would  give  instructions  to  Captain  Thompson,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  Hygeia,  which  was  daily  expected  in  Samarai, 
to  take  Mr.  Hely  and  myself  round  the  islands  which  I  wished 
to  visit ;  whilst  the  steamer,  after  coaling  at  Samarai,  was  to 
return  and  take  the  rest  of  the  party  with  himself  up  the 
coast  of  the  mainland  as  far  as  Mitre  Rock,  which  is  the 
boundary-mark  between  German  and  British  New  Guinea. 
I  need  not  say  that  I  very  readily  accepted  this  kind  pro- 
position, and  subsequently  left  Samarai  on  July  20  in  the  Hygeia. 
This  part  of  the  voyage  was  full  of  interest,  but  I  can  only 
say  here  that  we  went  again  to  Teste  Island,  Pitt  Bay  (Basilaki 
Island),  Tubetube  (Slade  Island),  Flynn  Bay  (Basilaki),  Pitt 
Island,  and  Normanby,  but  I  did  not  see  any  place  which  I 
could  recommend  as  being  in  all  points  a  suitable  one  on 
which  to  commence  our  Mission. 

On  Monday,  August  4,  we  were  off  Goulvain  Island  (Dobu). 
There  was  no  wind,  and  the  day  was  intensely  hot ;  but  as 
time  was  very  precious,  I  decided  to  take  the  boat  and  pull 
to  the  island.  We  had  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  fierce 
character  of  the  people,  and  many  friendly  cautions  were  given 
me  to  keep  a  good  lookout  when  we  landed.  One  of  the 
last  remarks  made  to  me  by  the  Governor  before  I  left  him 
at  Chad's  Bay  was :  "  Now,  Brown,  take  care  of  yourself  at 
Dobu,  or  they  will  knock  you  on  the  head.  They  are  about 
the  worst  natives  I  know  in  New  Guinea."  Then  there  was 
another  reason  why  we  should  be  very  careful,  and  that  was 
because  it  was  in  Dawson  Straits,  and  very  near  to  Dobu,  where 
some  of  the  horrible  atrocities  had  been  committed,  for  which 
the  men  on  board  the  labour  vessel  Hopeful  were  tried  and 
condemned.  We  found  the  distance  to  be  much  greater  than 
we  thought,  as,  owing  to  the  very  clear  atmosphere,  the  island 
appeared  to  be  much  closer  to  the  ship  than  it  really  was. 
We  pulled  for  two  hours  under  the  hot  sun,  and  then  landed 
at  one  of  the  villages.  A  great  crowd  came  about  us,  most 
of  whom  were  very  shy  at  first,  but  they  soon  got  confidence. 
We  went  into  several  villages,  and  all  the  people  seemed 


486  GEORGE    BROWN 

glad  to  see  us.  On  one  house  which  we  passed  I  saw  twelve 
human  skulls  over  the  doorway,  on  a  kind  of  shelf.  I  took 
some  notice  of  them,  and  on  our  way  back  we  found  that  the 
natives  had  taken  the  skulls  down  after  we  passed.  I  think 
they  did  this  simply  because  they  knew  that  we  did  not  care 
to  see  such  trophies.  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  day  on  shore. 
As  soon  as  we  landed  I  took  notice  of  some  babies,  and  hung 
a  string  of  beads  on  the  neck  of  the  first  two  or  three  which 
I  saw  ;  after  that  I  had  lots  of  them  brought  to  me  to  decorate. 
In  fact  I  caught  one  or  two  women  presenting  the  same  babies 
twice  over.  We  passed  through  village  after  village,  until  we 
came  to  some  boiling  springs  on  the  beach,  which  were  very 
curious.  The  water  came  out  of  some  fissures  and  holes  in 
the  rocks  near  the  sea — indeed,  I  think  they  are  covered  at 
high  water.  There  was  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur,  and  the 
rocks  about  were  covered  with  a  sulphur  deposit,  which  I 
tried  to  tell  the  natives  would  cure  the  ringworm  disease,  to 
which  they  are  subject.  I  noticed  here  that  the  natives  did 
not  tattoo  as  in  the  other  groups.  I  was  soon  satisfied 
that  Dobu  was  by  far  the  best  place  I  had  seen  on  which  to 
form  a  head  station,  as  it  was  very  populous  and  in  the 
centre  of  a  very  dense  population  on  Normanby  and  Ferguson 
Islands. 

Tuesday,  August  5.  This  morning  there  were  scores  of 
canoes  round  the  ship,  all  anxious  to  trade.  I  went  on  shore 
with  two  or  three  boys,  and  shot  some  manucodias.  This  is 
a  bird  which  I  believe  belongs  to  the  same  genus  as  the  bird 
of  paradise.  It  is  black,  with  brilliant  metallic  markings  on 
the  whole  body.  The  strange  peculiarity,  however,  of  the 
bird  is  that  the  windpipe  in  the  male  birds,  instead  of  entering 
the  lungs  direct  from  the  throat,  is  carried  down  the  body 
between  the  skin  and  the  body  as  far  as  the  tail,  and  then 
back  again  (sometimes  making  a  round  turn  as  well)  to 
the  breast,  before  it  enters  the  lungs.  The  females  have  not 
got  this  very  peculiar  development.  It  is  no  doubt  owing 
to  this  arrangement  that  the  bird  is  enabled  to  make  such  a 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       487 

long-sustained  tremolo  call.  We  left  Dobu  at  10  a.m.,  and 
had  first  calms  and  light  winds,  then  a  good  breeze,  so  that 
we  reached  Seymour  Bay  on  Ferguson  Island  at  sunset,  but 
too  late  to  go  on  shore. 

On  landing  the  following  day  we  saw  one  or  two  natives, 
and  did  everything  we  could  to  get  them  to  come  near  us, 
but  in  vain.  We  sent  a  native  ahead  of  us,  and  they  stayed 
to  talk  with  him,  but  as  soon  as  we  advanced  they  started 
off.  We  found  the  track,  and  went  to  the  sulphur  holes, 
which  we  found  at  about  a  mile  inland.  We  passed  out  of 
the  forest  on  to  a  grass  plain,  and  saw  in  front  of  us  a  bleached- 
looking  mountain,  out  of  which  fumes  were  coming  thick  and 
fast.  Turning  to  the  right,  we  passed  lots  of  fumaroles,  each 
with  its  cap  of  sulphur  over  it.  We  went  close  to  the  mountain, 
and  then  to  a  great  hot  spring,  which  was  boiling  most 
furiously  and  throwing  out  great  clouds  of  steam.  Then  we 
came  to  some  springs  of  boiling  mud,  which  reminded  me  very 
much  of  Tikitiri  in  New  Zealand,  though  they  were  not  so 
large  as  the  New  Zealand  springs.  We  ascended  a  spur  and 
had  a  most  lovely  view.  We  were  evidently  watched  by 
natives,  and  at  last  they  mustered  courage  enough  to  come 
to  us.  We  made  them  happy  by  some  presents  of  beads, 
red  cloth,  etc.  Their  sign  of  friendship  is  to  nip  the  nose, 
and  then  touch  the  navel.  We  got  on  board  at  1.30  and  found 
that  all  the  white  paint  on  board  was  stained  brown  by  sulphur 
fumes.  Next  day  we  crossed  over  to  Goodenough  Island,  but 
landed  first  on  an  island  which  lies  off  the  mainland.  The 
natives  were  shy  at  first,  but  soon  got  friendly.  This 
was  covered  with  thick,  coarse  grass,  which  looked  very 
beautiful  at  a  distance,  but  no  one  said  it  was  pleasant  work 
walking  through  it  on  a  wet  day.  After  visiting  two 
villages,  one  with  forty-seven  houses  in  it,  we  followed  the 
Hygeia  into  a  very  deep  bay,  when  crowds  of  natives  came 
round  the  ship  in  canoes.  Goodenough  Island  at  any  rate 
has  a  very  dense  population,  most  of  whom  are  fairly  accessible, 
as  we  saw  large  villages  on  the  beach.  We  fortunately  got 


488  GEORGE    BROWN 

a   good   breeze,  and  managed  to  clear  Dawson   Straits  before 
dark,  after  having  had  a  very  busy  day. 

On  Saturday,  August  9,  we  anchored  in  Samariai,  and  were 
at  Port  Moresby  on  the  nth,  from  which  place  we  sailed  on 
the  I4th,  and  reached  Townsville  on  August  20.  Our  voyage 
was  a  very  pleasant  one.  Captain  Hennessey,  his  officers,  and 
all  on  board  the  Merrie  England,  were  very  kind  indeed. 
Captain  Thompson  of  the  Hygeia,  and  Mr.  Evanson,  his  chief 
officer,  were  equally  kind,  and,  thanks  to  them,  our  life  on 
board  was  a  very  happy  one.  To  Sir  William  MacGregor 
the  Board  of  Missions  presented  their  thanks  for  his  great 
kindness,  and  for  the  very  valuable  assistance  he  had  con- 
stantly given  us  in  our  preliminary  work.  The  value  of  the 
help  he  so  freely  gave  can  be  known  only  by  those  of  us  who 
accompanied  him  on  the  voyage.  I  can  only  say  that  he 
did  all  that  any  one  could  do  to  make  my  mission  a  successful 
one,  and  my  stay  on  board  as  happy  and  as  pleasant  as  it 
was  possible  to  make  it ;  and  for  this  I  was,  and  ever  shall  be, 
very  deeply  grateful. 

On  my  return  I  presented  my  report,  and  steps  were  at 
once  taken  for  the  foundation  of  the  Mission.  A  number  of 
European  ministers  who  had  volunteered  for  the  work  were 
accepted,  and  a  large  party  of  native  teachers  from  the  Island 
Districts,  who  had  also  volunteered  to  go,  were  brought  to 
Sydney.  The  three-masted  schooner  the  Lord  of  t/te  Isles  was 
chartered,  houses  were  built  and  put  on  board,  together  with 
the  varied  and  extensive  outfit  necessary  for  such  a  large 
party.  It  would  not  have  been  possible  for  any  single  individual 
to  arrange  all  these  matters  in  the  short  time  at  our  disposal, 
but  by  apportioning  the  work  we  were  able  to  be  ready  at 
the  time  appointed.  Mr.  G.  J.  Waterhouse  very  kindly  took 
charge  of  all  details  with  regard  to  the  provisioning  of  the  ship, 
the  engagement  of  the  crew,  and  all  matters  connected  with  the 
vessel.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bromilow  and  the  other  missionaries  had 
the  responsibility  of  selecting  furniture  and  household  requisites  ; 


I 


; 

~***^/. 


aj 


~;H 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       489 

whilst  I  attended  to  a  number  of  other  details.  Seeing  that 
we  formed,  I  think,  the  largest  party  that  ever  left  any  port 
to  establish  a  new  Mission,  I  felt  just  a  little  pardonably  proud 
when  our  subsequent  experience  showed  that  nothing  essential 
to  the  comfort  of  the  missionaries  or  the  success  of  the  Mission 
had  been  forgotten. 

We  left  Sydney  on  Wednesday,  May  27,  1891.  Our  party 
consisted  of  the  Rev.  W.  E.  Bromilow,  the  chairman  of  the 
Mission,  Mrs.  Bromilow  and  daughter,  Revs.  S.  B.  Fellows 
J.  T.  Field,  J.  Watson,  and  Mr.  Bardsley,  for  New  Guinea  ; 
Revs.  R.  H.  Rickard,  W.  Brown  and  Mrs.  Brown,  for  New 
Britain  ;  and  myself,  together  with  a  large  number  of  teachers, 
their  wives  and  families,  which,  with  the  crew,  made  a  total  of 
over  seventy  people. 

I  have  not  attempted  any  account  of  the  reception  of  the 
missionaries  and  teachers  in  Sydney,  or  of  the  farewell  services. 
I  am  well  aware  they  ought  to  have  been  given,  and  some  day 
I  hope  to  do  so,  but  at  present  I  can  only  give  a  very  short 
account  of  our  voyage  and  work. 

We  arrived  at  Samarai  on  Saturday,  June  13.  On  Sunday 
Mr.  Bromilow  preached  in  Fijian,  Mr.  Rickard  in  English,  and 
I  in  Tongan.  On  the  Monday  evening  I  gave  a  lantern 
entertainment  to  the  natives,  which  was  highly  appreciated  by 
them.  I  showed  the  photographs  which  I  had  taken  on  my 
previous  visit,  and  there  was  great  excitement,  especially  when 
photographs  of  the  prisoners  who  were  arrested  for  murder,  and 
one  of  whom  was  hanged,  were  exhibited,  and  also  when  some  of 
the  audience  saw  their  own  photos  on  the  sheet.  We  were 
able  to  finish  all  our  customs  business  in  one  day.  This  was 
due  in  no  small  degree  to  the  courtesy  and  kindly  assistance 
given  by  Mr.  Ballantyne,  the  collector  of  customs  at  Samarai, 
who  did  all  in  his  power  to  help  us.  We  had  a  tedious  voyage 
of  three  days  from  Samarai  to  Dobu.  We  were  becalmed 
outside  Dawson  Straits,  but  very  fortunately  the  Merrie  England 
arrived  in  port,  and  as  soon  as  His  Excellency  knew  that  we 
were  becalmed  he  instructed  Captain  Hennessey  to  go  out  to 


490  GEORGE    BROWN 

us  and  tow  us  in,  thus   adding  another  item  to  the  long  list 
of  kind  actions  for  which  we  were  indebted  to  him. 

I  cannot  give  the  account  in  detail  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
next  few  weeks.  During  a  long  experience  of  the  South  Seas, 
I  have  had  many  examples  of  good  work  done,  but  I  never 
knew  as  much  achieved  in  such  a  short  space  of  time  as  was 
accomplished  in  the  first  weeks  of  our  Mission  in  New  Guinea, 
nor  have  I  ever  laboured  with  better  men  or  more  earnest 
workers  than  those  who  formed  the  mission  party  on  board  the 
Lord  of  the  Isles.  There  was  a  little  difficulty  in  the  first  place, 
as  to  the  site,  as  I  was  very  unwilling  to  establish  the  station  on 
the  land  which  had  been  selected  for  us.  We  were  able, 
however,  to  purchase  another  site  in  a  more  suitable  position, 
and  then  the  work  proceeded  very  rapidly.  When  we  commenced 
clearing  the  ground  the  natives  were  quite  willing  to  help  until 
we  came  to  a  small  piece  where  some  evil  spirit  was  located, 
and  this  they  positively  refused  to  touch.  Some  of  us,  however, 
undertook  the  job  of  starting  the  objectionable  resident  off  the 
premises,  and  the  land  was  soon  ready  for  the  reception  of 
the  posts.  My  old  experiences  had  shown  me  the  value  of 
lightning  cross-cut  saws  in  procuring  posts,  and  we  were  well 
provided  with  them  ;  but,  in  spite  of  these,  the  work  was  very 
heavy.  We  had  to  go  day  after  day  to  Normanby  Island  and 
cut  down  large  trees  of  suitable  wood,  called  "  vesi  "  in  Fiji  (the 
greenheart  of  India),  a  species  of  teak  which  is  very  durable. 
Some  of  these  were  very  heavy  indeed  ;  and  as  they  had  to  be 
brought  over  in  boats  some  five  or  six  miles  from  Normanby, 
it  was  comparatively  slow  work,  and  we  were  all  very  glad  of 
the  rest  of  the  Sabbath.  On  Sunday,  June  28,  Mr.  Bromilow 
preached  from,  "  One  is  your  Master,  even  Christ,"  and  in  the 
afternoon  I  preached  from,  "  Say  not  therefore  there  are  four 
months,"  etc.  Nearly  everyone  was  ill  with  fever,  and  some  of 
them  were  very  down-hearted,  and  we  spent  sometime  afterward 
trying  to  cheer  them  up. 

It  will  give  some  idea  of  the  work  done,  if  it  is  considered 
that  the  land  had  to  be  cleared  ;  temporary  storehouses  erected 


CHIEF    GAGANAMOLE    AND    WIFE,     DOBU. 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       491 

for  furniture  and  stores;  126  hardwood  piles,  many  of  them 
nine  and  ten  feet  in  length,  cut  and  boated  over  from  Normanby. 
erected  in  position  on  the  ground  and  levelled  ;  all  the  timber 
for  two  large  houses  to  be  landed  ;  houses  for  teachers  to  be 
erected  ;  and  a  large  mission  house,  sixty-six  feet  long  by  thirty- 
five  feet  wide,  to  be  built.  All  this  was  done  in  the  short  space 
of  three  weeks,  and  the  missionaries  were  in  possession  of  the 
house,  which,  though  not  finished,  was  quite  habitable  when  we 
left  for  New  Britain.  This  result,  I  need  hardly  say,  was  only 
achieved  by  hard  work  from  daylight  until  dark  each  day, 
often  in  pouring  rain  or  under  a  tropical  sun.  The  Rev.  R.  H. 
Rickard  and  Rev.  J.  T.  Field,  from  their  experience  and  know- 
ledge, were  of  inestimable  value  in  building  operations,  and  I 
cannot  say  too  much  in  praise  of  their  work.  Where  all  worked 
well  it  seems  almost  invidious  to  single  out  individuals,  but  in 
this  instance  I  am  in  no  danger  of  grieving  any  of  our  pioneer 
party,  for  we  were  all  of  one  mind  in  this  matter.  Mr.  Rickard, 
indeed,  was  named  "  Quick,  quick,"  by  the  natives,  from  his 
saying  that  word  to  them  so  often. 

During  the  time  in  which  building  operations  were  being 
carried  on  I  paid  several  visits  in  the  whale-boat  to  Ferguson 
Island,  and  to  the  villages  on  Dobu  and  Normanby  Island. 
We  landed  at  many  places,  bought  provisions,  and  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  people.  One  village  consisted  of  about 
a  hundred  houses  built  in  a  circle,  and  thus  enclosing  a 
circular  piece  of  ground,  which  appeared  to  me  to  contain  a 
number  of  graves.  I  made  several  long  trips  in  the  boat,  and  was 
quite  satisfied  that  there  were  enough  people  within  a  radius  of 
twenty  miles  to  employ  all  the  teachers  we  had  taken  with  us, 
if  we  could  spare  them,  leaving  none  for  the  large  district 
beyond  which  was  committed  to  our  care. 

On  Sunday,  July  12,  Mr.  Field  preached  in  the  morning,  and 
I  gave  a  few  words  of  advice  and  counsel  to  the  mission  party 
and  friends  in  the  evening.  The  missionaries  were  then  on 
shore  in  their  new  house,  and  though  it  was,  of  course,  not 
finished,  they  were  all  glad  to  get  away  from  life  on  shipboard. 


492  GEORGE    BROWN 

Next  day,  July  13,  the  Merrie  England  arrived  again.  The 
Governor  came  on  shore,  and  seemed  both  pleased  and  sur- 
prised at  the  progress  which  had  been  made.  He  was  much 
impressed  with  the  size  and  stability  of  the  piles  on  which  the 
house  was  built,  and  evidently  regarded  it  as  a  proof  that  we 
meant  to  stay.  He  complimented  Mr.  Bromilow  on  possessing 
the  finest  house  in  New  Guinea,  a  far  better  one  indeed  than  he 
himself  had  at  Port  Moresby. 

On  Tuesday,  July  14,  we  set  sail  for  New  Britain.  We 
left  the  mission  party  fairly  comfortable,  with  the  teachers  also 
well  housed,  and  the  station  fixed  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
population,  amongst  whom  there  was  every  prospect  of  esta- 
blishing a  most  successful  Mission.  Early  in  the  morning  Mr. 
Rickard  and  I  went  ashore,  at  4  o'clock,  to  get  the  teachers  off 
as  soon  as  possible.  We  had  prayer  in  Samoan,  Tongan,  Fijian, 
and  English,  just  at  dawn,  in  an  empty  house  on  the  beach. 
It  was  a  strange  gathering,  and  I  could  not  help  wondering 
what  was  to  be  the  future  of  the  members  of  the  party  thus 
met  together  for  the  last  time.  We  had  voyaged  together  to 
the  new  field,  had  prayed  and  worked  together,  and  had  been 
all  privileged  to  take  some  part  in  the  establishment  of  this 
great  Mission,  and  now  we  were  to  part,  some  to  enter  again 
upon  their  work  in  New  Britain,  others  to  labour  there  for  the 
first  time  ;  some,  again,  to  return  home  to  the  colonies ;  and 
the  remainder  to  live  and  labour,  we  hoped  for  years,  in  that 
large  and  important  district.  It  was  a  solemn  meeting  in  the 
morning  light,  which  was  just  spreading  over  the  skies,  and 
some  of  us  felt  it  to  be  prophetical  of  the  yet  more  glorious 
light  which  was  to  break  upon  the  darkness  of  that  great  land 
in  which  our  Mission  was  just  commenced.  Before  we  had 
fully  finished  our  meeting,  the  Merrie  England  had  moved 
towards  our  ship,  and  we  could  hear  the  rattle  of  the  windlass 
pawls  as  the  crew  were  heaving  up  the  anchor.  So  good-bye 
had  to  be  said  to  all  on  shore,  and  the  sick  wife  of  one  of  the 
teachers  to  be  helped  down  to  the  boat ;  then  a  hurried  shake 
of  the  hand  with  the  teachers,  and  soon  we  were  pulling  off  to 


TWO    TYPICAL    GIRLS    OF    DOBU. 


PIONEERING    IN.  NEW   GUINEA       493 

the  ship,  leaving  our  friends  to  their  work  in  New  Guinea.  As 
we  left  them  we  could  hear  their  kind  farewells  in  Samoan, 
Fijian,  Tongan,  and  English,  until  we  were  almost  alongside 
the  ship.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were  in  tow  of  the  steamer,  and 
soon  we  passed  safely  the  difficulties  about  which  we  had  been 
troubling  ourselves  for  some  days  past.  We  all  felt  deeply 
grateful  to  Captain  Hennessey  and  to  His  Excellency  for  that 
great  act  of  kindness.  We  should  probably  have  had  some 
difficulty  in  getting  out  of  the  Straits,  even  when  we  got  the 
breeze.  As  it  was,  we  were  safely  towed  out  in  the  calm  of 
the  early  morning  to  a  safe  offing,  and  then  the  captain  and 
the  many  kind  friends  on  board  waved  their  farewell. 

When  we  got  to  sea  I  wrote  in  my  diary  as  follows :  "  I 
have  been  feeling  very  unwell  lately,  but  this  morning  all  sense 
of  bodily  weakness  and  pain  seemed  to  leave  me,  as  my  heart  was 
full  of  devout  thanksgiving  and  gratitude  to  God  for  His  great 
goodness  to  us  all.  I  have  felt  deeply  the  great  responsibility 
of  this  voyage,  and  have  had  many  fears  and  much  anxiety  at 
times ;  but  now  I  have  no  other  feeling  than  that  of  great 
thankfulness.  God  has  been  very  good  to  us,  and,  so  far, 
we  have  had  no  accident,  nor  any  serious  illness  on  board. 
All  our  valuable  freight  and  cargo  for  New  Guinea  is  safely 
landed,  the  station  selected,  land  bought,  the  teachers  and 
missionaries  safely  housed,  and  this  great  Mission  fairly  begun, 
and  we  again  on  our  way  to  New  Britain,  in  less  than  seven 
weeks  since  we  left  Sydney." 

We  arrived  in  New  Britain  on  July  20,  and  did  not  leave 
there  for  Sydney  until  August  I.  During  this  time  I  visited 
nearly  all  the  places  so  familiar  to  me  in  days  gone  by.  My 
old  friend,  Mr.  Hernsheim,  on  landing,  asked  me  to  go  with 
him  to  Matupit,  and  I  very  gladly  accepted  his  kind  invitation. 
Mr.  Hernsheim  was  the  first  visitor  we  had  after  our  arrival  in 
1875,  and  since  then  he  had  been  engaged  in  business  in  that 
group.  On  our  way  down  we  talked  a  good  deal  about  old 
times,  and  especially  of  his  first  visit  to  Matupit,  when  we 


494  GEORGE    BROWN 

found  the  people  hiding  behind  the  reed  fences  round  their 
houses,  with  spears  in  their  hands,  preparing  to  fight  us  if 
necessary.  Now  all  had  changed,  and  Matupit  was  as  quiet 
and  safe  as  any  part  of  the  world.  Messrs.  Hernsheim  &  Co. 
had  a  very  fine  station ;  and  a  large  wharf,  coal-sheds,  stores, 
and  dwelling-houses  stood  on  the  land  where  Mr.  Hernsheim 
and  I  landed  sixteen  years  previously.  I  had  some  interviews 
with  the  Imperial  Chancellor,  Herr  Schmiele,  on  matters  affect- 
ing our  Mission,  and  he  assured  me  that  the  Imperial  German 
authorities  were  most  anxious  to  assist  us,  and  that  all  help 
possible  would  be  given  to  us  in  the  prosecution  of  our  work, 
as  they  were  fully  sensible  of  its  great  importance  as  affecting 
the  welfare  of  the  people  then  under  their  charge. 

On  Saturday,  July  25,  we  reached  Duke  of  York.  I  was 
once  again  on  familiar  ground,  though  much  changed  in  some 
respects  since  I  saw  it  ten  years  before.  Every  inch  of  the 
road  seemed  familiar  to  me,  and  as  we  walked  up  the  hill  to 
the  mission  house  each  part  served  to  recall  the  incidents  of 
past  years.  I  wrote  a  full  account  of  this  visit  at  the  time,  and 
cannot  reproduce  it  now.  I  will  only  mention  one  or  two 
incidents  connected  with  it.  On  the  Sunday  following  our 
landing  I  preached  at  Molot,  the  first  time  since  1880.  I  was 
a  little  doubtful  as  to  whether  I  could  manage  the  language, 
but  I  found  no  difficulty  in  making  myself  fully  understood, 
and  I  preached  with  pleasure  to  myself,  and,  I  hope,  with  some 
profit  to  the  people.  In  the  afternoon  I  preached  again  at  one 
of  the  other  villages.  On  Monday  we  had  grand  school 
examinations.  It  was  a  most  interesting  sight,  and  one  which 
filled  me  with  wonder,  and  with  gratitude  for  the  success  which 
God  had  given  us.  Aminio,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  pioneer 
band,  still  lived  in  the  district,  and  had  built  a  beautiful  house 
for  himself.  No  man  in  the  group  was  so  highly  respected  and 
so  dearly  loved  by  the  people.  He  had  a  large  school,  and 
the  change  which  had  taken  place  in  Molot  since  the  days  when 
we  landed  was  such  as  no  stranger  could  possibly  appreciate. 
After  leaving  Duke  of  York  1  visited  the  north  coast,  where 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       495 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oldham  were  stationed,  and  had  a  kind  reception 
by  them.  On  our  way  we  passed  the  spot  where  my  old  friend 
Taleli  lived.  Poor  fellow  !  He  often  sent  me  messages  telling 
me  to  come  down  again.  He  wanted  to  eat  me  once,  but  we 
became  good  friends  after  that,  and  no  one  would  have  been 
more  glad  to  have  seen  me  than  old  Taleli  had  he  been  living. 

On    August  I    we  left  New   Britain  on  our  return  voyage. 
We   had   a  good   ship,   the   Lord  of  t/ie  Isles,   and   a   skilful 
captain,  but  I  never  had  more  narrow  escapes  from  shipwreck, 
and  never  experienced  a  more  anxious  time  at  sea  than  I  did 
on  this  voyage.     Our  chronometer,  as  we  found  on  our  arrival 
in    Sydney,   had   altered  its  rate  very  seriously.     On  Sunday, 
August  9,   at    1.30  a.m.  we  found  ourselves  almost  ashore  at 
Woodlark  Island,  before  any  one  realised  the  fact  that  we  were 
running  on  to  the  cliffs  with  a  seven-knot  breeze.     The  captain 
was  on  deck,  but  had  just  fallen  asleep,  when  the  man  at  the 
wheel,   who   was   alarmed   by   the   sea   getting   very   suddenly 
smooth,  woke  him  to  ask  if  there  was  any  land  about,  as  there 
was  a  heavy  dark  mass  just  ahead  of  us.     I  must  have  woke 
just  at  the  same  time,  as  I  heard  the  captain  say :  "  Yes,  that 
is  land  right  enough,"  and  the  helm  was  put  hard-a-lee  instantly. 
Fortunately  we  had  a  fine  breeze  and  a  good  ship,  and  so  we 
came  round  in  good  style,  and  were  soon  standing  right  away 
from  the  danger.     It  was  certainly  a  very  narrow  escape,  for  we 
were  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  land,  which  was  "  steep- 
to,"   when   we  discovered  it     No  vessel   could  have   survived 
the   shock  with  which  we  should  have  struck  at  the  rate  we 
were  going ;  and  as  the  water  was  very  deep  close  in-shore,  we 
should  certainly  have  been  in  a  most  dangerous  position.     Next 
day   we  again  sighted  land  ahead,  which  surprised  us  a  great 
deal,   as   we  were  not  expecting  to  see  any  in  that  direction. 
On  the  following  day  the  captain  decided  to  run  down  to  the 
island,  in  order  to  verify  his  position.     We  found  that  it   was 
the  island  of  Misima  (St.  Aignaud),  and  as  we  were  thus  quite 
close  to  Panaieti,  which  had  been  suggested  as  a  very  suitable 
place   for   the   second  station   on    New    Guinea,   I    decided  to 


496  GEORGE    BROWN 

call  there ;  and  I  was  very  glad  afterwards  that  we  did,  as  I 
was  able  to  leave  a  letter  there  telling  Mr.  Bromilow  that  I 
considered  the  place  to  be  suitable  for  a  mission  station. 

On  August  13  we  made  another  start,  passing  through 
Jomard  Passage.  A  week  after  that  we  had  a  very  heavy  sea, 
but  fortunately  sighted  Magdalene  Kay,  thus  discovering  that 
we  had  again  drifted  a  long  way  from  our  proper  course.  Three 
days  after  this  we  had  another  very  narrow  escape,  as  we  found 
ourselves  at  3  a.m.  close  to  an  extensive  reef,  which  we  took 
to  be  a  part  of  Lihou  Reef.  We  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that 
we  were  anywhere  near  this  great  danger.  It  was  fortunately 
light  enough  to  enable  us  to  see  a  small  sandbank,  or  we  should 
not  have  known  of  the  reef  until  we  were  on  it.  Next  morning 
we  sighted  the  reef  again,  but  at  the  weather  end,  where  there 
was  no  sandbank,  but  only  an  angry  reef  far  out  at  sea.  Had 
we  made  the  weather  end  in  the  night  instead  of  the  sand  islet, 
we  should  probably  have  lost  the  ship.  We  finally  weathered 
the  danger  in  the  evening,  and  so  kept  on  our  course,  I,  for 
one,  hoping  that  I  should  never  see  it  again.  On  August  26  I 
wrote  :  "  At  length  we  have  a  fine  day.  Last  night  many  of 
our  sails  gave  out.  There  was  a  heavy  sea  running,  and  as  if 
to  spite  us  until  the  last  the  wind  blew  the  hardest  just  before 
it  changed.  The  last  few  puffs  were  too  much  for  our  sails. 
The  lower  top-sails  and  mizzen  especially  were  so  damaged 
that  they  had  to  be  taken  in  and  unbent,  whilst  nearly  all  the 
others  were  split  or  torn.  This  was  the  first  fine  day  we  had  had 
for  nearly  a  fortnight.  Three  days  after  this  we  ought  to  have 
seen  Kenn  Reef,  as  our  sights  and  dead  reckoning  made  us  to 
be  close  to  it  at  noon,  but  we  could  not  see  anything  of  it 
though  a  good  lookout  from  the  topsail  yard  was  kept  all  day. 
This  showed  us  again  that  our  chronometer  was  wrong,  and  so 
we  had  no  confidence  as  to  our  position.  As  we  were  amongst 
great  reefs  in  the  Coral  Sea,  this  was  far  from  being  pleasant. 
On  August  3 1  we  had  another  escape,  as  we  found  at  8  a.m. 
that  we  were  heading  right  in  for  Breaksea  Spit,  on  the  Great 
Barrier  Reef.  Had  we  gone  a  little  faster  during  the  night, 


L 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       497 

we  should  have  found  ourselves  on  this  dreaded  reef  before 
it  was  light  enough  to  show  us  our  danger.  We  landed  in 
Sydney  on  Sunday,  September  6,  and  I  was  very  grateful  indeed 
to  God  that  our  important  and  eventful  voyage  was  safely  over, 
and  our  New  Guinea  Mission  fairly  begun  without  accident  to 
any  of  the  party  or  to  the  ship. 

My  third  visit  to  New  Guinea  was  in  1897,  Just  s'x  years 
after  the  beginning  of  our  Mission.  I  left  by  the  ss.  Titus, 
Captain  Williams,  an  old  friend,  who,  as  captain  of  the  Borough 
Belle,  was  associated  with  the  Mission  in  its  early  days.  We  left 
Newcastle  on  May  13,  reached  Cooktown  on  the  2Oth,  and  left 
that  port  the  same  day,  arriving  at  Port  Moresby  on  Saturday, 
May  22.  I  gladly  again  accepted  Mr.  Ballantyne's  invitation  to 
stay  with  him.  On  landing  I  was  met  by  another  old  friend,  the 
late  Rev.  J.  Chalmers,  so  well  known  as  one  of  the  grand  pioneers 
of  Missions  in  New  Guinea.  He  told  me  that  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cribb  was  seriously  ill  with  fever,  and  on  seeing  that  gentleman 
I  strongly  advised  Mr.  Chalmers  that  he  should  leave  the 
district,  for  awhile  at  all  events,  in  order  to  get  medical  treat- 
ment in  Australia.  Mr.  Chalmers  placed  the  mission  schooner 
Nine  at  my  disposal  for  a  visit  to  Tupuselei,  a  town  some 
thirty  miles  down  the  coast,  which  several  of  our  passengers 
and  I  were  anxious  to  visit.  One  of  the  photographs  which 
I  reproduce  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  village  than  any  other 
description  could  do.  The  resident  teacher  could  not  talk  in 
English,  and  we  got  on  very  badly  until,  to  my  utter  astonish- 
ment, he  told  me  he  was  a  Tongan.  This  changed  matters  at 
once,  and  the  old  man's  face  beamed  as  he  heard  me  speaking 
the  language  he  himself  had  well-nigh  forgotten.  He  left 
Tonga  some  forty  years  before,  lived  at  Rurutu  as  a  canoe 
builder,  then  went  to  Rarotonga  and  became  a  teacher  there, 
and  was  sent  to  New  Guinea  at  his  own  request. 

We  reached  Samarai  on  May  28,  and  left  in  the  Dove  on 
June  i,  with  Mr.  Bromilow  on  board.  I  have  given  elsewhere  a 
long  account  of  this  voyage,  which  was  to  me  a  most  interesting 


498  GEORGE    BROWN 

one,  but  am  compelled  in  this  account  to  omit  all  but  the  bare 
narrative.  We  anchored  at  Mudge  Bay  at  Basilaki  the  first 
night,  and  at  Tubetube,  the  station  occupied  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Field, 
the  next  day.  Mr.  Field's  house  occupied  a  fine  site,  and  the 
mission  house  was  very  comfortable  indeed.  It  undoubtedly 
testified  most  highly  to  the  courage  and  hard  work  of  the  man 
who  planned  and  built  it  almost  single-handed,  at  a  minimum 
expense  to  the  Society.  Out  next  call  was  at  Ware,  Teste 
Island  ;  and  on  the  following  day,  June  4,  we  sailed  for  Panaieti, 
reaching  there  on  the  5th.  We  landed  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  spot  where  I  landed  with  Mrs.  Oldham  in  1891,  on  my 
way  from  New  Britain  to  Sydney.  We  found  Rev.  A.  and  Mrs. 
Fletcher  living  in  a  native  house,  and  delighted  to  welcome  us 
to  their  lonely  and  difficult  station.  No  one  but  an  old 
missionary  can  realise  what  excitement  there  was  on  our 
landing,  and  what  pleasure  was  experienced  by  the  missionaries 
and  by  the  visitors.  A  few  hours  on  shore  were  sufficient  to 
show  us  very  clearly  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  had  not  only 
done  a  grand  work  amongst  these  people,  but  that  they  had 
endeared  themselves  to  them,  and  secured  their  love  by  the 
kindly  interest  which  they  took  in  every  part  of  their  life. 

On  Sunday  the  first  service  which  was  held  was  at  a  village 
some  twenty  minutes'  walk  from  the  mission  station.  It  was 
in  that  village  that  Seluaia,  the  wife  of  the  Tongan  catechist, 
had  been  brutally  murdered  some  few  months  previously,  by  a 
native  to  whom  neither  she  nor  her  husband  had  ever  given  the 
slightest  cause  of  offence.  He  was  angry  with  a  native  police- 
man, and  as  he  was  not  able  to  attack  the  policeman  he  vented 
his  brutal  rage  on  the  teacher's  wife.  She  was  in  our  family 
during  the  time  we  were  in  Tonga,  and  as  I  sat  in  the  church 
I  thought  much  of  the  good,  noble  woman,  whom  we  esteemed 
so  highly,  and  who  came  so  cheerfully  with  her  husband  to 
their  work  in  New  Guinea.  I  gave  a  short  address  at  the 
principal  service  in  the  afternoon,  which  Mr.  Fletcher  interpreted. 

The  next  day  was  fully  occupied  with  business  connected  with 
the  Mission,  and  on  Tuesday  morning  we  left  for  Dobu,  about 


PIONEERING   IN    NEW   GUINEA       499 

a  hundred  miles  distant,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher,  with  some  of 
their  converts,  accompanying  us  in  the  Dove.  It  was  quite  an 
education  for  these  people  to  be  taken  to  a  large  flourishing 
station  like  Dobu,  and  did  much  to  strengthen  them  and  to 
deepen  their  interest  in  the  work.  I  was  much  affected  by  the 
prayer  of  one  of  Mr.  Bromilow's  students  on  board  the  Dove, 
at  our  united  family  worship.  He  said  :  "  O  Lord,  help  us  to 
behave  ourselves  aright  whilst  these  our  Panaieti  friends  are 
with  us.  Oh,  help  us,  that  we  may  do  nothing  which  would 
discredit  '  taparoro '  (Christianity).  Help  us,  Lord,  that  we 
may  not  show  them  anything  that  is  wrong,  but  may  all  our 
conduct  be  such  that  they  may  see  what  true  religion  is."  This 
was  a  good  prayer,  and  was  offered  by  a  lad  who  was  a  wild 
savage  when  we  landed  in  Dobu  six  years  before.  It  abun- 
dantly proved  here,  as  in  every  other  place,  that  "  if  any  man 
be  in  Christ  Jesus  he  is  a  new  creature."  On  Wednesday, 
June  9,  we  reached  Dawson  Straits  at  night,  and,  as  the  Dove 
could  not  make  much  progress  for  want  of  wind,  we  took  the 
boat,  and  after  a  pull  of  eight  miles  reached  Dobu  at  10  p.m. 
As  we  landed  we  found  that  the  Meda,  our  mission  schooner, 
had  dropped  anchor  about  an  hour  before  us.  She  had  made 
a  fine  run  of  sixteen  days  to  Fiji,  and  of  twelve  days  from 
Fiji  to  Samarai. 

On  the  evening  of  June  10  I  wrote  the  following  in  my 
journal :  "  This  has  been  one  of  the  memorable  days  in  my 
life.  I  have  wandered  about  the  station  locating  various  points 
of  interest,  and  comparing  the  present  state  with  that  of  six 
short  years  ago,  when  we  first  landed  here.  Then  it  was  all 
wild  bush  ;  the  first  sound  of  the  Gospel  had  not  been  heard  in 
the  land ;  the  people  were  wild,  dark,  and  ignorant,  and  they 
neither  knew  us  nor  the  message  which  we  came  to  deliver. 
To-day  there  is  a  beautiful  station,  well-kept  gardens  in  front 
of  all  the  houses,  a  good  church,  a  small  hospital,  teachers' 
houses,  houses  of  students,  nearly  a  hundred  people  resident  on 
the  station,  boys  and  girls  saved  from  a  life  of  immorality  and 
sin,  students  being  prepared  for  the  blessed  work  of  preaching 


500  GEORGE    BROWN 

Christ  to  their  own  countrymen,  five  dear  little  intelligent 
children,  who  would  have  perished  either  by  being  buried  alive 
or  by  desertion,  but  for  the  loving  care  of  Mrs.  Bromilow  (who 
rescued  them)  and  her  helpers  in  this  good  work,  and  five 
missionary  Sisters  with  hearts  full  of  love  to  God  and  to  the 
people  for  whom  Christ  died,  who  are  devoting  their  lives  very 
lovingly  and  earnestly  to  the  work  of  reclaiming  for  Christ  the 
women  and  girls  in  Dobu  and  in  the  large  populous  districts 
on  Ferguson  Island.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bromilow  are  greatly 
honoured  of  God  in  being  privileged  to  initiate  and  superintend 
this  great  work  ;  but,  over  and  over  again,  as  I  heard  the  tale 
told  and  saw  the  effects  produced  by  these  devoted  servants  of 
God  and  their  fellow-labourers,  my  heart  said,  in  devout 
gratitude,  '  It  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our 
eyes.' " 

On  Friday  Gaganamoli,  the  principal  chief  of  Dobu,  came 
to  see  me,  and  made  a  short  speech,  in  which  he  alluded  to  my 
first  visit.  He  said  :  "  You  are  the  one  who  came  here  first, 
and  saw  us  in  our  darkness,  and  then  went  back  and  told  the 
people  of  our  Church  in  Sydney  of  our  darkness  and  ignorance  ; 
but  now  the  light  is  shining,  and  by-and-by  all  will  be  light  and 
the  darkness  will  pass  away." 

Sunday,  June  13,  my  first  Sunday  at  Dobu  on  this  visit, 
was,  by  a  strange  coincidence,' the  anniversary  of  our  landing 
there  six  years  before.  It  was  one  of  the  most  interesting 
Sundays  I  ever  spent  in  the  mission  field.  The  large  church 
was  packed  with  people,  there  being  at  least  six  hundred 
present.  As  I  looked  on  the  large  congregation,  my  eyes  were 
so  full  of  tears  of  joy  that  I  could  not  read  the  words  of  the 
hymn.  During  the  opening  services  I  had  the  privilege  of 
baptizing  ten  adult  converts,  who,  after  a  long  trial  and  careful 
teaching  and  supervision,  were  received  into  full  membership  in 
our  Church.  I  had  then,  therefore,  baptized  converts  in  six 
different  languages.  I  preached  to  the  people  from  Romans 
x.  12:  "There  is  no  difference  between  the  Jew  and  the 
Greek,"  etc.,  Mr.  Bromilow  interpreting  for  me  with  great 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       501 

freedom.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  fully  taken  up  in 
visiting  and  holding  services  on  the  mainland  of  Ferguson 
Island.  We  got  back  to  Dobu  at  night,  tired  out,  but  very 
thankful  for  such  a  day's  work.  The  following  days  were  spent 
in  visiting  the  surrounding  districts. 

On  Friday,  July  9,  the  Merrie  England  arrived  at  Dobu. 
Mr.  Bromilow  and  I  went  on  board,  and  were  kindly  received 
by  His  Excellency  Sir  William  MacGregor.  As  the  Governor's 
visit  was  of  necessity  a  very  short  one,  he  came  ashore  at  once. 
My  readers  will  remember  that  in  1890,  when  I  paid  my  first 
visit  to  Dobu,  Sir  William  warned  me  before  setting  out  that 
I  must  take  great  care  or  I  might  get  knocked  on  the  head, 
as  the  natives  bore  a  very  bad  character.  I  landed  on  that 
occasion  on  August  4,  1890,  and  again  on  June  13,  1891,  when 
the  Mission  was  commenced ;  so  that  it  was  not  quite  seven 
years  from  the  time  when  His  Excellency  gave  me  that  good 
advice,  and  just  six  years  from  the  commencement  of  the 
Mission,  when  he  again  landed  at  Dobu.  But  this  time  about 
sixty  students,  and  the  girls  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters,  were 
drawn  up  on  shore,  all  neatly  dressed,  and  as  His  Excellency 
stepped  on  the  beach  they  sang  the  National  Anthem  in 
English.  His  Excellency  took  off  his  hat,  and  stood  both 
amazed  and  pleased  at  such  a  reception.  He  then  went  to 
the  church,  saw  the  girls  put  through  some  drill,  and  heard 
them  sing,  and  highly  complimented  Sister  Minnie  on  the 
success  of  her  work.  He  also  expressed  himself  as  very  pleased 
with  the  system  pursued,  of  endeavouring  in  every  way  to  make 
school  work  as  attractive  to  the  children  as  possible.  I  have 
often  recalled  a  remark  made  by  him  during  our  conver- 
sation that  day.  He  asked  me  what  was  the  great  change  I 
had  noticed  in  the  appearance  of  the  people  since  we  first 
landed.  I  mentioned  several  things.  But  he  replied :  "  No, 
that  is  not  it  at  all.  Don't  you  see  the  people  have  quite  a 
different  expression  on  their  faces  now  ?  The  change  is  not 
a  matter  of  dress,  or  even  of  manner,  but  an  entirely  different 
appearance  and  expression."  I  had  often  noticed  this,  and  we 


502  GEORGE    BROWN 

missionaries  had  often  talked  of  it.  As  the  people  are  brought 
under  the  influence  of  Christian  teaching  there  is  not  only  a 
softening  of  their  facial  expression,  but  also  the  signs  of 
intelligent  interest,  which  were  certainly  absent  before.  His 
Excellency  manifested  great  sympathy  when  Mr.  Bromilow 
and  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  necessity  of  our  having  some  land 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  District  Training  Institution 
for  New  Guinea  teachers.  He  quite  agreed  with  us  that  if  our 
work  was  to  extend  as  it  ought  to  do,  we  must  train  our  own 
teachers  in  New  Guinea. 

During  the  following  days  I  was  fully  occupied  in  visiting 
the  respective  villages,  and  in  arranging  for  my  voyage  to  New 
Britain.  It  will  be  remembered  that  I  expected  to  meet  with 
the  mission  schooner  Meda  in  New  Guinea,  and  to  proceed  in 
her  on  my  voyage  to  New  Britain.  The  Meda  arrived  safely 
at  Dobu,  as  I  have  mentioned.  On  her  return  to  Samarai  to 
bring  some  cargo  which  had  been  left  there,  she  was  unfor- 
tunately wrecked  near  East  Cape.  There  was  no  chance, 
therefore,  of  my  reaching  New  Britain  except  in  our  little 
schooner.  The  Dove  is  only  fifty-one  feet  long  over  all,  and 
thirty-six  feet  six  inches  on  the  keel,  so  she  is  only  a  small 
vessel  of  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  tons  measurement ;  but  I 
decided  to  take  her,  as  otherwise  my  voyage  could  not  have 
been  completed.  On  Sunday,  July  18,  after  the  morning's 
service  Mr.  Bromilow  and  I  gave  tickets  to  a  hundred  members, 
as  well  as  members  on  trial,  and  I  delivered  a  short  address. 
After  the  service  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bromilow  started  to  open 
another  new  church  at  Normanby,  and  I  went  to  Numanuma 
to  preach  there,  on  my  way  to  the  Dove,  thus  taking  my  farewell 
of  Dobu  for  that  visit.  We  left  Ravia  early  on  July  19,  and 
reached  Kiriwina  the  following  day,  where  I  was  very  kindly 
received  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fellows.  I  spent  a  full  week  in  this 
very  important  Circuit,  every  hour  of  which  was  fully  occupied 
in  visiting  the  teachers,  chiefs,  and  people  in  the  respective 
villages.  On  July  27  I  started  for  our  long  sea  voyage  to  New 
Britain  in  the  little  Dove.  We  had  a  wet,  dirty  passage,  with 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       503 

strong  currents,  which  often  made  it  difficult  to  ascertain  our 
correct  position.  However,  we  fortunately  reached  Herbertshohe 
early  on  Saturday  morning,  having  made  the  voyage  from  New 
Guinea  in  exactly  four  days,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
people  there.  I  should  much  like  to  give  an  account  of  this 
visit,  which  was  full  of  interest  to  me,  but  this  is  not  possible 
in  this  work. 

On  Thursday,  August  5,  I  went  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fellmann, 
Mr.  Crump,  and  Mr.  Chambers,  to  Matupit,  where  we  held 
services  in  our  beautiful  large  church  there,  and  I  had  the 
privilege  of  baptizing  nearly  a  hundred  adults,  and  giving  a 
short  address  to  the  workers.  Amongst  the  number  baptized 
were  some  who  had  taken  part  in  the  murder  of  Sailasa,  our 
native  minister,  and  the  three  teachers  in  1878.  On  one 
Sunday  I  preached  at  Molot  in  a  large  church,  which  was 
crowded  with  a  most  attentive  audience.  The  language  came 
back  to  me,  and  I  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  finding  words 
to  speak  to  them  again  of  the  love  of  God  as  manifested  in  the 
gift  of  Him  who  came  to  this  earth  of  ours,  and  lived  and  died 
for  us  that  we  might  live  through  Him.  All  the  people  were 
neatly  dressed,  and  as  I  recognised  some  who  were  wild,  naked 
savages  when  they  first  heard  the  truths  we  came  to  proclaim 
it  was  difficult  to  believe  that  they  were  the  same  people.  It 
was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  wander  again  over  the  old  familiar 
places,  and  to  recall,  when  talking  to  the  older  men,  the  stirring 
events  of  the  past ;  though  this  was  not  unmixed  with  sadness 
as  I  visited  the  graves  of  our  little  ones,  and  remembered  those 
dark  days  when  I  and  one  very  dear  to  me  had  to  pass  together 
through  the  deep  waters  of  affliction,  and  what  then  appeared 
as  hopeless  sorrow. 

Next  day,  August  9,  as  I  was  desirous  to  see  the  whole 
of  the  District,  we  started  early  on  a  visit  to  New  Ireland, 
though  this  was  rather  risky  at  this  season,  owing  to  the  heavy 
surf  which  often  broke  on  the  coast  of  that  island  during  the 
south-east  monsoon,  and  so  made  the  landing  difficult,  and 
often  prevented  a  boat  from  leaving  for  several  days.  I  did 


504  GEORGE    BROWN 

not  want  to  be  shut  in  there,  but  I  was  very  anxious  to  see 
the  place  and  people  again,  and  ascertain  what  progress,  if  any, 
had  been  made  in  the  District,  which  at  first  seemed  so  difficult 
and  unfruitful.  So  I  determined  to  take  the  risk.  We  held 
services  at  Kabanot,  and  I  had  great  freedom  in  speaking  to 
the  people.  At  the  close  of  my  address  I  made  a  special 
appeal  to  the  unconverted  to  decide  for  Christ  that  very  day  ; 
and  this  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain.  As  we  were  sitting  in 
the  teacher's  house  at  night,  a  chief  came  and  called  the 
teacher  out,  when  he  told  him  that  he  had  decided  to  give 
his  heart  to  Christ.  He  said  :  "  You  know,  teacher,  I  re- 
member the  first  time  that  Mr.  Brown  came  to  New  Ireland, 
and  I  heard  him  often  during  the  years  which  he  spent  in 
this  land,  and  I  remember  the  story  which  he  used  to  tell  us 
then  ;  but  I  was  never  troubled  until  to-day.  As  I  sat  in  the 
church  and  listened,  I  said  to  myself :  '  That  is  the  same  story 
he  told  us  years  ago.  It  is  not  altered  at  all.  He  tells  us 
now,  as  he  told  us  then,  about  the  same  great  Father,  the 
same  Saviour,  the  same  way  of  salvation,  the  same  heaven, 
and  the  same  hell,'  and  I  thought  what  a  wonderful  story  it  is. 
Then  I  have  been  thinking  about  my  life  during  all  these 
years  ;  my  heart  has  been  full  of  sorrow,  and  I  have  determined 
to  seek  the  loving  Saviour  about  whom  I  have  heard  so  often." 
Some  others  also  came  and  entered  themselves  as  seekers  of 
salvation.  Sunday,  August  15,  which  I  spent  at  Kabakada, 
was  the  anniversary  of  my  landing  in  this  group  twenty-two 
years  previously. 

The  missionaries  and  residents  were  very  unwilling  for  me 

• 

to  return  to  New  Guinea  in  the  little  Dove,  and  begged  me  to 
remain  until  a  French  ship-of-war  returned  from  New  Guinea 
on  her  way  to  New  Caledonia.  The  captain  was  made  aware 
of  the  fact  of  our  rescuing  some  forty-two  members  of  the 
unfortunate  Marquis  de  Rays'  expedition  many  years  previously, 
but,  unfortunately  for  himself,  he  neglected  the  opportunity 
which  was  offered  him  of  showing  that  the  French  nation  was 
not  ungrateful  for  kindness  shown  to  its  distressed  people. 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       505 

Next  morning,  August  24,  we  started  on  our  return  voyage 
to  New  Guinea.  We  had  a  very  uncomfortable  passage,  as 
we  were  four  days  becalmed  off  Cape  St.  George,  and  this 
in  a  small  14-ton  ketch,  with  a  vertical  sun  in  latitude 
5°  south,  the  cabin  insufferably  hot,  no  shade  on  deck, 
and  no  awning  possible  from  the  swinging  of  the  booms,  was 
not  at  all  a  pleasant  experience.  After  this  we  had  heavy 
rains,  thick,  dirty  weather,  thunder  and  lightning,  but  with 
little  wind,  except  during  occasional  violent  squalls.  However 
we  reached  Dobu  on  September  2,  very  glad  indeed  to  get 
ashore.  I  left  next  morning  for  Samarai,  and  was  detained 
there  waiting  for  the  steamer  Titus.  I  determined,  however, 
to  prepare  against  the  contingency  of  her  nonarrival,  and 
occupied  some  time  in  cleaning  the  Dove,  taking  out  and 
restowing  the  ballast,  in  case  I  deemed  it  necessary  to  go  in 
her  to  Australia.  This  I  finally  decided  to  do  ;  and,  much 
against  the  advice  of  Captain  S.  and  others  at  Samarai,  we 
left  for  Cooktown  on  Monday,  September  20,  at  3  p.m.  and 
passed  Brummer  Island  at  6  p.m.  This  passage  is  often  a 
very  rough  one,  and  so  we  found  it  to  be,  but  we  fortunately 
had  a  good  breeze,  and  next  day  at  noon  the  little  Dove  had 
run  176  miles  in  twenty-four  hours.  This  was  good  work 
for  a  little  1 4-ton  ketch  in  a  heavy  beam  sea,  and  it  is  not 
difficult  to  realise  that  those  on  board  of  her  had  often  to 
hold  on  pretty  firmly,  and  that  her  decks  were  kept  well 
washed  down  by  the  seas  which  she  took  on  board.  At  noon, 
on  Wednesday,  the  22nd,  we  found  that  our  little  craft  had 
placed  178  miles  to  her  credit,  as  the  result  of  twenty-four 
hours'  hard  running.  This  was  a  very  creditable  performance, 
but,  unfortunately,  we  were  prevented  from  taking  full  ad- 
vantage of  it,  as  we  were  compelled  to  heave-to  for  eight 
hours  to  avoid  running  on  the  Great  Barrier  Reef  of  Australia 
in  the  night.  At  daylight,  Thursday,  the  23rd,  we  entered  the 
reef,  but  not  by  the  regular  passage,  and  reached  Cooktown  at 
4  p.m.,  just  three  days  and  one  hour  from  Samarai,  having 
averaged  about  seven  knots  an  hour,  Two  days  afterwards 


506  GEORGE    BROWN 

I  left  Cooktown  in  the  steamer  Ctntra,  Captain  Butcher  in 
charge,  and  reached  Sydney  on  Monday,  October  4,  glad  to 
be  at  home  again,  and  in  good  time  for  the  General  Conference. 

On  my  fourth  visit  to  New  Guinea,  I  left  in  the  ss.  Moresby 
on  June  18,  at  4  p.m.     As  soon  as  we  were  started  and  were 
fairly  outside   the   Heads  we  were  able  to  take  stock  of  our 
passengers,  and  from  the  missionary  point  of  view  we  certainly 
had  a  very  miscellaneous  collection  on  board.     Beginning  with 
the   representatives   of  the   Roman   Catholic  Church,  we   had 
Bishop  Vidal  of  Fiji,  Bishop  Broyer  of  Samoa,  one  priest,  two 
nuns,  and  two  lay  brothers.      The  Lutheran  Church  was  well 
represented   by   Rev.   Pastor  Flierl,   his   wife,  and   family,  for 
German  New  Guinea.     Rev.  E.  Price  Jones,  from  Madagascar, 
who  was  going  to  his  new  station  in  New  Guinea,  and  Miss  Wells, 
on   furlough   from   China,  represented  the  London  Missionary 
Society.     Rev.  E.  M.    Hines  and   Miss    Kerr   represented    the 
Anglican   Mission    in    New  Guinea.     And    Rev.    A.   and    Mrs. 
Fletcher,  Miss  Tinney,  Mrs.  Andrews  and  I  were  representatives 
of  the   missionary  workers   of  our  own  Church.     In  addition 
to   these   there   were   on  board  fourteen  of  our  teachers  from 
Fiji,  with  their  wives  and  children ;  whilst  the  Roman  Catholic 
Mission  had  on  board  a  similar  number  of  teachers  from  Samoa, 
Wallis    Island,   and    Fiji,   who    were   going  to   the   Solomons. 
Mr.   and    Mrs.     Dobbie   and    Miss   Chewings,    from    Adelaide, 
and  Mr.  Beckett  from  Surrey  Hills,  Melbourne,  a  member  of 
the  Victoria  and  Tasmania  Conference  Missionary  Committee, 
all  of  whom  were  deeply  interested  in  our  mission  work,  were 
on  board  ;  and  we  had  also  a  number  of  other  passengers  who 
were   making  the  round  trip  for  health,  pleasure,  or  business 
purposes.     Captain    Williams,   my   old   friend,   was   in  charge, 
and   the   voyage   certainly   proved    that   he    had    with  him   a 
company  of  as  genial  and  capable  officers  as  I,  at  all  events, 
had  ever  travelled  with.     We  called  at  Cooktown,  and  Thursday 
Island,  and  reached  Port  Moresby  on  July  7.     On  July  9  we 
landed   at   Yule   Island,   which   was   the   headquarters   of  the 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       507 

Roman  Catholic  Mission  in  British  New  Guinea.  All  our 
passengers  were  received  very  kindly  at  the  mission  station 
by  Archbishop  Navarre ;  the  priests,  and  lay  brothers,  and 
the  sisters  were  all  very  kind  and  attentive  to  the  ladies  of 
our  party.  I  had  a  long  and  interesting  conversation  with 
the  Archbishop.  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  the  opportunity 
of  meeting  me,  stating  that  he  had  heard  of  me  so  often  during 
his  stay  in  New  Britain,  and  also  more  recently  from  Sir 
William  MacGregor,  that  I  scarcely  seemed  a  stranger  to  him. 

Early  on  July  12  we  reached  Samarai,  and  I  found  the  Dove 
at  anchor  awaiting  our  arrival.  I  transhipped  at  once  to  the 
Dove,  with  a  few  of  our  passengers,  and  we  started  at  11.30  a.m. 
One  great  object  of  my  visit  was  to  meet  with  Mr.  Bromilow 
and  the  missionaries,  and  consult  with  regard  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Training  Institution  in  New  Guinea,  and  for  this 
purpose  we  deemed  it  necessary  to  examine  first  a  portion  of 
the  coast  of  Normanby  Island.  We  reached  Bunama,  the 
station  of  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Field,  at  6.30  p.m. ;  and  as  we  had 
sailed  some  fifty  miles  from  Samarai,  the  Dove  again  averaged 
about  seven  miles  an  hour  for  the  whole  distance.  The  mis- 
sionaries and  teachers  in  New  Guinea  used  to  say  that  I 
brought  the  good  winds  with  me  when  I  visited  them.  I  was 
delighted  with  the  new  station  at  Bunama,  which  bore  abundant 
evidence  of  Mr.  Field's  hard  work.  We  could  not,  however, 
remain  long  there,  and  next  day  we  proceeded  on  our  way 
to  Dobu  along  the  coast  of  Normanby.  We  anchored  at 
Sewa,  and  then  at  Ubuia,  in  order  to  ascertain  which  of  them 
was  the  best  for  the  establishment  of  our  Training  College. 
On  leaving  Ubuia  we  had  a  quick  run  to  Dobu.  My  stay 
in  New  Guinea  was  again  full  of  interest  and  pleasure. 

On  Tuesday,  the  i8th,  we  left  Dobu  for  German  New  Guinea. 
The  students  and  teachers  were  gathered  together  in  front  of 
the  mission  house,  and  frequently  shouted  their  musical 
"  kaioan "  (farewell)  in  one  full  chorus  as  we  passed  along. 
All  our  passengers  were  loud  in  their  praise  and  admiration 
of  the  people  of  Dobu,  and  of  the  wonderful  work  which  had 


5o8  GEORGE    BROWN 

been  accomplished  amongst  them  by  our  missionaries  and 
teachers.  On  Wednesday,  the  igth,  we  were  fortunately  able 
to  land  the  Rev.  Pastor  Flierl,  his  wife,  and  family,  at  their 
own  station  at  Simbang,  in  German  New  Guinea,  much  to  their 
satisfaction  and  comfort.  On  Thursday  we  arrived  at  Friedrich 
Wilhelms  Hafen,  and  afterwards  at  Stephensort  On  Tuesday, 
the  25th,  we  steamed  up  the  coast  of  New  Britain.  As  we 
passed  the  Father  and  Sons  mountains,  and  other  places,  many 
an  incident  of  our  long  boat-journey  down  that  coast  some 
twenty  years  before  came  back  to  my  memory  very  distinctly. 
We  anchored  at  Herbertshohe  at  1 1  p.m. 

On  this,  the  first  day  of  our  landing,  I   called  on  my  old 
friend,  Mrs.  Kolbe,  of  Ralum  Plantation.     There  was  a  visitor 

in  the  house  at   the  time,   Mr.    L ,  recently  arrived  from 

Melbourne,  who  was  very  ill,  and  the  medical  officer  who  was 
with  him  when  we  called,  decided  that  the  only  hope  for  his 
recovery  was  that  he  should  at  once  leave  the  group ;  and, 
whilst  we  were  sitting  there,  he  was  carried  out  of  the  house 
to  be  taken  down  to  another  part  of  the  station,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  go  on  board  the  Moresby.  He  evidently  felt  the  great 
kindness  of  his  hosts,  and,  as  he  left  the  verandah,  he  called 
out  to  us,  in  a  loud,  clear  voice :  "  Well,  good-bye,  everybody." 
We  little  expected  that  this  was  a  final  farewell,  but  in  a  few 
hours  afterwards,  Mr.  Fellmann  received  a  note  saying  that 
he  had  died  soon  after  he  left  the  station,  and  asking  him 
to  conduct  the  burial  service.  We  went  to  Mr.  Parkinson's 
residence  at  Ralum,  but  it  was  not  until  some  time  after  dark 
that  we  were  able  to  start  for  the  cemetery.  I  have  attended 
many  funerals  in  wild  countries,  as  well  as  others  in  our  own 
lands,  but  I  do  not  remember  any  which  were  so  impressive  as 
this  one.  There  were  about  fifteen  foreign  residents  present, 
and  a  large  number  of  natives.  The  cemetery  was  some  distance 
away,  and  the  road  to  it  was  through  groves  of  cocoanut  palms 
and  dense  tropical  bush.  The  night  was  quite  dark,  but  we 
could  see  the  path  very  clearly  by  the  light  of  large  torches  of 
dried  palm  leaves,  which  were  carried  by  a  number  of  New 


WOMEN    AND    GIRLS,    FRIEDERICK    WILHEMSHAFEN,    GERMAN    NEW    GUINEA. 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       509 

Britain  and  other  natives  who  were  employed  on  the  station. 
It  was  indeed  a  weird  sight  as  the  waving  torches  flashed  their 
light  on  the  coffin,  covered  with  black,  borne  by  dark-skinned 
islanders,  and  on  the  white  dresses  and  clothing  of  the  mourners. 
Some  of  the  natives  ran  on  ahead,  others  were  on  the  sides  of 
the  track,  and  others  again  followed  behind,  and  the  light  from 
the  torches  which  they  carried  was  reflected  from  leaf  to  leaf 
of  the  waving  palms,  and  from  the  dark  glossy  leaves  of  the 
tropical  forest  trees,  until  it  was  lost  in  the  dark  shadows  of 
the  thick  bush.  Mr.  Fellmann  and  I  conducted  the  service  ; 
and  very  rarely  have  the  words  of  our  beautiful  burial  service 
been  read  in  circumstances  more  calculated  to  impress  those 
who  heard  them  than  on  this  occasion.  The  coffin  had  several 
beautiful  wreaths  placed  on  it  by  the  loving  hands  of  those  ladies 
who  had  so  kindly  tended  him  in  the  last  days  of  his  life  here. 
These  were  placed  there  on  behalf  of  his  own  loved  ones  who 
were  far  away,  and  to  testify  at  the  same  time  to  their  own 
sorrow  for  his  early  death,  and  their  respect  for  his  memory. 
His  friends  and  relatives  were  all  unknown  to  most  of  those 
who  were  present,  but  we  all  mourned  for  them,  and  special 
prayer  was  offered  by  the  side  of  the  open  grave  that  He  who 
is  "  the  Father  of  mercies  and  the  God  of  all  comfort  "  would 
comfort  and  sustain  them  in  their  great  sorrow. 

The  next  day,  Thursday,  July  27,  was  a  great  day  at  Matupit. 
We  held  services  in  the  fine  large  church  there,  which  I  de- 
scribed on  my  last  visit,  and  I  baptized  forty-four  adults,  who 
had  been  carefully  prepared  and  taught  during  their  long  pro- 
bation. After  service,  we  went  to  the  native  minister's  house, 
where  the  people  were  all  assembled,  and  the  New  Britain 
natives  gave  us  an  exhibition  of  one  of  their  festive  dances. 
Then  the  Fijians  gave  us  a  very  good  Fijian  meke,  and  after- 
wards the  Samoans  exhibited  their  skill  in  gesture-singing. 
When  this  was  finished  I  got  one  of  the  greatest  surprises 
of  my  life,  when  the  people  from  the  different  villages  came 
up  and  presented  me  with  a  valuable  lot  of  spears,  stone  clubs, 
shells,  baskets,  etc.  There  was  no  speech-making  on  their 


510  GEORGE    BROWN 

part.  Each  man  came  up,  stuck  his  spear  in  the  ground,  or 
laid  down  his  present  in  front  of  me,  and  went  away.  Then 
one  of  the  teachers  came  forward,  and  made  a  short  speech 
on  their  behalf,  saying  that  these  articles  were  of  little  or  no 
value,  but  they  were  given  as  an  expression  of  their  love  to 
the  man  who  first  brought  the  Gospel  to  New  Britain,  and 
also  to  manifest  the  joy  which  they  felt  at  seeing  him  again 
in  their  land.  I  was  naturally  much  affected,  and  had  great 
difficulty  in  trying  to  express  my  thanks  to  them  for  their 
gift.  This  presentation  was  as  great  a  surprise  to  the  mission- 
aries as  it  was  to  me,  for  these  New  Britain  people  had  little 
idea  of  present-giving.  They  buy  and  sell  among  themselves, 
for  they  are  keen  traders,  but  they  give  no  presents,  except 
on  the  clearly  understood  rule  that  they  are  to  receive  another 
and  larger  one  in  return  ;  but  there  was  no  such  expectation 
in  this  case.  We  all  knew  that  it  was  quite  easy  for  them 
to  sell  the  articles  which  they  had  brought;  indeed,  some 
of  the  missionaries  had  been  trying  for  several  years  to  purchase 
some  of  the  same  things,  but  had  failed  to  do  so.  They  had 
literally  nothing  to  gain,  except  the  satisfaction  of  being  able 
to  testify  their  gratitude  for  the  blessings  which.they  had  received 
from  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  we  had  been 
privileged  to  bring  to  them  ;  and  the  assurance  that  it  was  this 
feeling  alone  which  prompted  their  action  made  it  very  accept- 
able indeed  to  us  all.  Some  of  the  articles  were  almost  value- 
less, except  as  the  expression  of  their  love,  but  some  of  the 
spears  which  they  brought  could  readily  have  been  sold  by 
them  to  the  traders  for  ten  shillings  each  in  trade,  as  they  are 
worth  that  amount  at  the  place  where  they  are  made.  We 
did  not  reach  Raluana  until  late  in  the  evening.  I  am  fairly 
well  accustomed  to  native  gatherings,  but  I  confess  that  the 
events  and  excitement  of  this  day  affected  me  so  deeply,  that 
I  was  unable  to  sleep  much  during  the  night. 

On  July  28  we  landed  at  our  new  station  at  Ulu,  where  the 
Rev.  J.  A.  Crump  had  done  a  grand  work,  both  for  the  Mission 
and  for  the  people,  at  the  Training  College  on  that  island.  The 


PIONEERING    IN    NEW   GUINEA       511 

whole  station  was  a  proof  of  the  energy,  patience,  endurance, 
and  hard  work  of  Mr.  Crump  and  all  who  had  taken  part  in 
it.  Mr.  Crump  lived  for  several  months  in  a  tent  on  the 
island  whilst  the  preliminary  work  was  being  done,  and  his 
work  was  made  possible  during  those  trying  times  by  the 
self-sacrifice  and  devotion  of  his  good  wife.  She  herself  said 
nothing  about  it ;  but  those  of  us  who  knew  how  bravely  she 
did  her  work,  and  how  patiently  she  bore  her  share  in  all  the 
discomforts  and  hardships  which  had  to  be  endured,  could 
fully  appreciate  the  value  and  devotion  of  her  service.  On 
our  passage  to  Sydney  after  leaving  New  Britain  we  spent 
some  weeks  in  the  Solomons,  but  this  I  will  describe  in  my 
account  of  that  group.  We  reached  Sydney  on  August  22. 

My  fifth  visit  to  New  Guinea  was  made  in  1905,  when  I 
joined  the  mission  yacht  George  Brown  at  Samarai,  on  my 
return  from  the  Solomon  Islands  vid  New  Britain  in  that 
year.  We  met  the  Rev.  W.  E.  Bromilow  at  Samarai,  where 
he  had  gone  to  send  Mrs.  Bromilow,  who  was  very  unwell, 
to  Sydney.  After  the  Willehad,  in  which  Mrs.  Bromilow 
was  a  passenger,  had  left  for  Sydney,  we  embarked  on  board 
the  yacht,  and  proceeded  to  Ubuia,  where  active  preparations 
had  for  some  time  been  carried  on  in  the  commencement  of 
the  large  Training  College  for  that  District.  Whilst  the  vessel 
was  discharging  the  large  cargo  which  she  took,  Mr.  Bromilow, 
my  daughter,  and  I,  went  on  to  Dobu,  where  I  had  again  the 
great  pleasure  of  meeting  with  all  the  members  of  the  District, 
who  were  gathered  for  their  Annual  Synod.  I  was  delighted  to 
hear  the  good  report  which  they  were  able  to  give  of  the  work 
of  God  in  their  respective  Circuits.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bromilow 
were  the  only  two  left  of  the  pioneer  party  which  I  conducted 
there  in  1891,  and  Mr.  Bromilow  had  recently  crowned  his 
great  work  in  that  District  by  the  completion  of  the  translation 
of  the  New  Testament  into  the  New  Guinea  language. 

We  left  in  the  George  Brown  on  October  17  for  New 
Britain,  in  order  that  we  might  proceed  to  Sydney  from  there 


512  GEORGE    BROWN 

as  no  suitable  opportunity  offered  from  New  Guinea.  Owing 
to  calms  and  light  winds,  we  had  a  long  passage  of  about  eight 
days  to  Herbertshohe,  at  which  port  we  arrived  on  October  24. 
After  waiting  for  about  a  week  we  were  enabled  to  leave  by 
the  fine  mail  steamer  Prinz  Waldemar,  and  reached  Sydney 
on  November  8,  after  a  very  fine  passage.  When  we  returned 
from  New  Britain  in  1881,  with  my  wife  and  children,  we  had 
to  make  the  voyage  in  the  John  Hunt,  a  small  vessel  of 
about  thirty  tons,  and  were  several  weeks  on  the  passage ; 
so  I  felt  very  thankful  that  the  change  of  circumstances  enabled 
us  to  make  such  a  pleasant  voyage  as  we  had  just  completed. 


SOLOMON   ISLANDS,   FIJI— AND   EVENTIDE 


33 


XI 

SOLOMON   ISLANDS,  FIJI— AND  EVENTIDE 

MY  first  acquaintance  with  this  large  and  extensive  group  was 
in  the  year  1879,  when  I  passed  through  it  on  my  return  to 
New  Britain  from  Sydney,  after  the  hurricane  in  which  the 
John  Wesley  was  dismasted.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
Captain  Ferguson,  of  the  auxiliary  steamer  Ripple,  very  kindly 
offered  to  take  me  to  New  Britain  rather  than  allow  me  to  go 
in  a  small  ketch.  Captain  Ferguson  was  well  known  in  the 
Solomons,  and  it  was  a  great  advantage  to  me  to  be  able  to 
travel  in  his  company.  We  called  at  most  of  the  trading 
stations  in  the  group,  and  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  islands  and  becoming  acquainted  with  the  people.  It  was 
at  the  same  time  the  beginning  of  a  friendship  with  some  of 
the  traders  there  which  has  continued  until  the  present  time. 
I  found  that  both  chiefs  and  people  were  very  much  opposed 
to  any  mission  work  being  carried  on.  I  was  quite  unable, 
however,  to  find  any  adequate  reason  for  the  objection  of  the 
New  Georgia  natives,  as  no  missionaries  had  ever  landed  amongst 
them.  I  think  they  must  have  heard  some  stories  about 
mission  work  in  the  eastern  islands  which  had  most  unreason- 
ably prejudiced  them  against  it.  The  natives  bore  then  a  very 
bad  character,  and  few  vessels  cared  to  go  near  the  group. 
Captain  Ferguson,  however,  was  respected  and  trusted,  and, 
as  will  be  seen  afterwards,  the  fact  of  my  friendship  with  him 
was  useful  to  me  in  subsequent  years. 

My  next  visit  was  paid  in   1899,  when  we  called  there  in  the 
s.s.  Moresby,  on   our  way  from  New  Britain  to   Sydney.     We 


516  GEORGE    BROWN 

landed  first  at  Faisi,  in  the  Shortlands  Group,  and  whilst  the 
vessel  was  discharging  cargo  I  took  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
several  of  the  villages.  We  spent  one  day  in  the  village 
Mokosaia,  the  residence  of  the  great  chief  Wari.  This  man 
had  great  influence  in  his  own  district,  and  in  the  surrounding 
islands.  Both  he  and  some  of  the  other  chiefs  often  acted  with 
great  cruelty  towards  their  people  when  they  had  offended  them. 
I  could  give  some  shocking  details  about  the  doings  of  the 
old  chief  Gorai,  which  I  first  heard  on  undoubted  authority 
many  years  before  our  visit.  Alu  was  formerly  one  of  the 
stations  of  Captain  Ferguson,  and  when  the  people  knew  that 
I  was  not  only  an  old  friend  of  his,  but  was  also  the  legal 
guardian  of  his  son,  they  were  much  interested  and  pleased. 
We  visited  one  of  the  "  tambu  "  houses,  and  saw  the  carved 
image  or  totem  pole,  which  made  the  house  prohibited  to  any 
woman  or  uninitiated  person.  A  few  days  afterwards  we  called 
at  Ruviana,  where  our  head  station  now  is.  It  may  be  well 
for  me  to  say  here,  in  view  of  the  decrease  of  population 
which  is  now  so  noticeable  in  the  Solomons,  that  even  then 
I  noticed  a  great  apparent  decrease  in  the  population  from 
that  which  I  had  seen  some  twenty  years  before ;  and  the 
opinion  which  I  expressed,  that  there  had  been  a  great  decrease, 
was  confirmed  by  the  traders  to  whom  I  spoke. 

At  Ruviana  I  met  again  my  old  friend  Mr.  Frank  Wickham, 
one  of  the  oldest  residents  in  the  group,  and  we  all  received  a 
very  hearty  welcome  from  him.  He  himself  had  to  leave  his 
home  to  attend  to  business  matters  on  the  Moresby,  but  with 
genuine  island  hospitality  he  gave  up  his  house  and  all  it 
contained  to  my  absolute  disposal.  He  took  me  round,  showed 
me  where  his  stores  and  trade  were  kept,  and  said :  "  Take 
anything  that  you  want,  use  the  boats  and  boys  as  you  need 
them,  and  make  yourselves  as  comfortable  as  you  can,  and  for 
as  long  as  you  please."  We  certainly  took  full  advantage  of 
our  privileges.  The  Ruviana  natives  were  the  most  notorious 
head-hunters  in  the  Pacific,  and  were  continually  making  raids 
on  the  neighbouring  islands  to  obtain  those  ghastly  trophies 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     517 

especially  when  a  new  "tambu"  house  was  built,  a  canoe 
landed,  or  when  some  great  ceremonial  feast  was  to  be  held. 
The  large  island  of  Ysabel,  where  the  Spaniards  under  Mendana 
first  landed  about  three  hundred  years  previously,  was  at  that 
time  very  populous,  but,  owing  to  the  raids  of  the  Ruviana 
head-hunters,  there  were  at  the  time  of  our  visit  only  a  few 
villages  left,  except  at  the  east  and  west  ends  of  the  island  ; 
and  the  same  effects  were  noticed  on  Choiseul.  Since  Great 
Britain  assumed  the  protectorate  of  the  group,  and  a  Resident 
Commissioner  was  appointed,  this  horrible  custom  of  head- 
hunting has  been  practically  stopped,  though  there  are  occa- 
sional instances  of  it  at  the  present  time  when  it  can  be 
carried  out  without  the  knowledge  of  the  officials. 

The  principal  chief,  Ingava,  was  not  well,  and  was  staying 
at  an  island  some  miles  away,  so  we  did  not  see  him.  I  wrote 
in  my  diary  at  the  time  :  "  For  some  reason  or  other  neither 
he  nor  his  people  want  missionaries  to  live  here.  I  wish, 
however,  that  our  Church  would  give  some  of  us  the  opportunity 
of  beginning  Christian  work  amongst  them  ;  it  would  be  a 
glorious  work  to  win  these  souls  for  Christ,  and  I  am  sure  it  can 
be  done."  At  the  time  I  wrote  this  I  had  no  expectation  that 
our  Methodist  Church  would  so  soon  undertake  the  work,  and 
that  it  would  be  my  privilege  to  commence  it.  On  our 
return  from  a  visit  to  a  place  called  Kokorapa,  where  we  went 
to  inspect  a  large  wooden  idol  or  "totem"  pole  we  called 
again  on  Mr.  N.  Wheatley,  and  much  enjoyed  a  talk  with 
him.  As  we  sat  on  his  verandah  we  saw  the  large  island 
of  Rendova  in  the  distance,  on  which,  Mr.  Wheatley  told  us, 
some  sixty-two  white  men  and  women  had  been  murdered 
in  the  past  few  years.  We  called  also  on  this  visit  at  Savo  and 
Gavutu.  At  the  latter  place  Mr.  Nielson  had  a  very  fine 
station,  to  which  he  gave  us  a  very  hearty  welcome,  and  did 
all  he  could  to  make  our  short  stay  as  pleasant  as  possible. 
We  also  called  at  Neal  Island  and  Aola.  On  August  11  we 
reached  Marau  Sound,  and  had  a  walk  to  the  little  cemetery  on 
the  top  of  the  island  on  which  the  trading  station  was  located. 


518  GEORGE    BROWN 

V — 

We  saw  here  one  of  the  skull-houses  which  are  a  prominent 

feature  in  all  the  villages  in  the  Solomons.  The  bodies  of 
relatives  are  first  exposed,  either  on  some  small  island  or  in 
canoes  amongst  the  mangrove  bushes,  and  when  decomposed 
the  skull  is  brought  away,  and  placed  in  a  small  model  house, 
set  up  on  a  post  or,  in  some  instances,  on  small  cairns.  Offerings 
of  food  are  placed  near  it,  especially  when  any  feasts  are  held. 
At  this  time  several  of  our  passengers  and  some  of  the  crew 
were  ill  with  severe  remittent  fever,  which  I  have  no  doubt  was 
contracted  in  German  New  Guinea.  Two  of  the  passengers 
especially  were  very  ill,  and  we  had  to  arrange  to  keep  watch 
each  night  with  them  ;  and  on  Monday,  August  14,  Mr.  T.  J. 
Hawley,  from  England,  died  at  7  a.m.  He  expired  in  his  sleep 
so  quietly  that  it  was  some  little  time  before  we  knew  that  he 
had  passed  away.  A  coffin  was  prepared  by  the  carpenter. 
This  was  placed  in  the  boat,  covered  with  the  old  English  flag, 
and  then  a  sorrowful  party  went  on  board  the  steam  launch. 
The  boat  was  towed  to  Crawford  Island,  and  in  a  beautiful  spot 
on  the  top  of  that  lovely  island  the  remains  were  interred.  The 
solemn  burial  service  was  read,  and  fervent  prayers  were 
offered  for  the  bereaved  ones  in  the  far-away  English  home. 
On  Saturday,  August  19,  one  of  the  cooks  died,  and  many  on 
board  witnessed  for  the  first  time  the  impressive  sight  of  a 
burial  at  sea.  Our  list  of  sick  was  still  a  large  one,  and  some 
of  the  cases  gave  us  much  anxiety,  but  we  fortunately  reached 
Sydney  on  August  22,  and  were  able  to  place  them  under 
proper  medical  treatment. 

The  necessity  for  this  Mission  was  first  brought  under  the 
consideration  of  the  Board  of  Missions  by  the  receipt  from  year 
to  year  of  requests  and  petitions  from  a  number  of  Solomon 
Islanders  living  in  Fiji,  many  of  whom  had  been  converted 
under  the  ministry  of  the  missionaries  there,  some  of  them  being 
local  preachers  and  officers  of  our  Church,  who  earnestly  desired 
to  return  to  their  own  land,  but  refused  to  go  unless  a  missionary 
or  teacher  went  with  them.  The  Board,  whilst  sympathising 


. 

jFm 

^^^^^^ 

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JflHlH 


o  s 

g  3 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     519 

with  their  wishes,  did  not  feel  free  to  incur  the  responsibility  of 
any  Mission  at  that  time.  In  the  year  1901,  however,  the 
matter  was  fully  discussed  by  the  General  Conference,  and 
it  was  resolved ,  "  That,  in  view  of  the  whole  facts,  and  the 
earnest  call  of  the  Solomon  Islanders  in  Fiji,  and  in  view  also 
of  the  fact  that  the  vast  portion  of  the  Solomons  is  at  present 
absolutely  without  Gospel  teaching,  this  Conference  directs  the 
Board  of  Missions  to  start  a  Mission  in  the  Solomons  in  such 
parts  as  may  seem  most  desirable  and  practicable,  and  at  the 
earliest  possible  time."  In  accordance  with  this  resolution,  I 
was  directed  by  the  Board  to  visit  the  group  to  make  all  possible 
inquiries,  and  to  collect  the  information  necessary  to  enable  them 
to  decide  upon  the  best  measures  for  carrying  out  the  in- 
structions of  the  General  Conference. 

I  left  Sydney  with  my  daughter  in  the  s.s.  Titus,  on  July  3, 
and  encountered  very  heavy  weather.  The  vessel  was  deeply 
laden,  and  in  the  heavy  cross-sea  shipped  a  great  deal  of  water, 
so  much  so  that  the  captain  decided  to  pump  out  some  sixty 
tons  of  fresh  water  in  order  to  lighten  her.  We  called  at 
Norfolk  Island,  where  I  had  an  interview  with  the  Bishop  of 
Melanesia  and  the  other  missionaries.  After  leaving  Norfolk 
Island,  we  visited  Vila  in  the  New  Hebrides,  Aola,  Gavutu,  and 
then  entered  the  beautiful  Maravo  Lagoon,  at  the  south-east 
end  of  New  Georgia,  by  the  Yokohama  passage.  We  were  all 
amazed  at  the  beautiful  scene  which  presented  itself  to  our  gaze. 
It  is  absolutely  impossible  to  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the 
wondrous  beauty  of  the  lagoon.  It  commences  at  some  islands 
lying  to  the  south-east  of  New  Georgia,  running  in  a  north-east 
direction  about  forty-five  miles,  in  a  direct  line.  The  width 
varies  from  three  to  ten  miles  in  the  main  portion  of  the  lagoon, 
and  then  decreases  to  a  narrow  channel  at  the  north-east  end. 
The  whole  of  the  lagoon  is  studded  with  beautiful  islands  of 
varying  sizes,  all  of  which  are  wooded,  the  bright  foliage  con- 
trasting very  charmingly  with  the  blue  of  the  deeper  parts  of  the 
lagoon  and  the  brighter  green  of  the  shallow  patches.  The 
outside  line  of  long  low  islands  evidently  marks  the  line  of  an 


520  GEORGE    BROWN 

old  barrier  reef.  We  were  not  able  to  land  on  the  mainland  ; 
but  it  was  very  evident,  both  from  the  formation  of  the  beach 
and  by  the  white  rocks  which  were  visible,  that  all  these  islands 
are  of  coral  formation.  The  people  were  very  friendly,  but,  so 
far  as  I  could  gather,  there  was  no  great  centre  of  population 
near  our  anchorage.  Soon  after  our  arrival  I  met  the  chief, 
Bera,  a  fine  old  man  of  good  physique  and  genial  expression. 
I  went  ashore  with  him,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  telling  him 
the  object  of  my  visit,  and  tried  to  give  him  some  idea  of  the 
success  of  mission  work  in  our  other  Districts.  He  was  not  at 
all  sympathetic,  and  expressed  himself  very  decidedly  against 
any  missionaries  living  with  or  near  him.  He  said  :  "  Suppose 
missionary  come,  we  will  die  :  all  same  man  Bagotu  "  (Bagotu  is 
the  principal  station  of  the  Melanesian  Mission  on  Ysabel).  I 
asked  him  if  none  of  his  people  had  been  to  Fiji,  and  he  said, 
"  Only  one."  I  replied  :  "  Go  and  ask  him  what  the  missionaries 
have  done  for  Fiji,  and  then  you  will  see  that  it  is  a  good  thing 
to  have  missionaries  with  you." 

We  reached  Ruviana  on  the  26th,  and  found  the  people  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement  over  a  large  feast  which  Ingava,  the 
principal  chief,  was  about  to  give  to  celebrate  the  opening  of  a 
new  house  which  he  had  just  built.  A  few  years  before  this  the 
house  would  not  have  been  opened  without  a  number  of  heads 
had  been  secured  for  the  occasion  ;  and  the  fact  that  this  was 
not  done  was  a  proof  of  the  influence  which  had  already  been 
exerted  by  the  Resident  Commissioner,  Mr.  C.  M.  Woodford,  and 
his  colleague,  Mr.  Mahaffy,  since  the  establishment  of  the 
Protectorate.  It  was  soon  very  clear  to  me  that  great  caution 
would  have  to  be  exercised  in  dealing  with  the  chiefs  and  people, 
as  they  were  evidently  strongly  opposed  to  any  Mission  being 
commenced.  I  talked  with  Ingava,  without,  however,  speaking 
to  him  directly  of  our  wishes.  I  gave  a  lantern  lecture  in  the 
evening,  and  showed  the  people  what  the  Gospel  had  done  for 
other  people  like  themselves.  The  views  showed  what  the 
people  of  Fiji,  New  Guinea,  and  other  places  were  before  the 
introduction  of  Christianity,  and  what  they  were  afterwards.  { 


MAN    WITH   BOX  OF  SPARKLET  CARTRIDGES   PLACED   IN   THE  LOBE   OF  THE   EAR/ 
TO    SHOW    SIZE    OF    THE    ORIFICE. 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     521 

have  said  before  that  Mr.  Wickham,  one  of  the  best  known 
traders  there,  was  an  old  personal  friend  of  mine,  and  he  did  all 
he  could  to  help  me.  No  man  had  more  influence  with  Ingava 
than  he  had,  and  it  was  through  him  that  I  made  most  of  my 
communications  to  that  chief.  I  soon,  however,  decided  not  to 
risk  a  refusal  by  asking  for  Ingava's  permission  to  come.  I  was 
quite  convinced  that  there  would  be  no  danger  in  our  coming, 
and  that  any  objections  some  of  the  chiefs  and  people  might 
make  would  soon  be  removed.  I  therefore  contented  myself 
with  doing  the  best  I  could  to  make  a  favourable  impression  on 
the  old  chief  and  the  people  ;  and  this  I  think  I  succeeded  in 
doing.  Mr.  Woodford  kindly  placed  the  Government  schooner 
Lahloo  at  my  disposal,  in  order  to  enable  me  to  visit  the  island 
of  Simbo,  and  Mr.  Mahaffy,  the  Deputy  Commissioner,  ac- 
companied me  on  the  voyage.  I  had  an  interview  with  the 
principal  chief,  Belangana,  a  fine  old  man,  with  a  most  be- 
nevolent expression  ;  and  yet  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  head- 
hunters  in  New  Georgia.  It  seemed  hardly  credible  that  such 
a  quiet-looking  old  man  had  been  a  leader  in  so  many 
sanguinary  expeditions.  After  returning  to  Gizo  I  had  several 
long  talks  with  Ingava  and  the  people,  but  carefully  avoided 
making  any  direct  proposition  to  him.  Mr.  Mahaffy  was  very 
kind  indeed,  and  in  every  possible  way  did  his  best  to  assist  me. 
I  left  Gizo  in  the  Lahloo  for  Ruviana,  but  joined  the  whale-boat 
at  Ferguson  Channel,  and  reached  Mr.  Wickham's  station  after 
being  two  hours  in  the  schooner  and  eleven  hours  on  board  the 
boat.  On  Monday,  August  5,  I  joined  the  steamer  outside  the 
reef,  after  a  very  narrow  escape  from  being  swamped  as  I  crossed 
the  bar  in  a  whale-boat.  On  the  return  voyage  we  visited  Santa 
Cruz,  where  Bishop  Patteson  and  Commodore  Goodenough  were 
murdered.  Our  voyage  back  was  by  way  of  Vila  and  Norfolk 
Island,  arriving  in  Sydney  on  August  28. 

After  communicating  my  report  to  the  Board  of  Missions, 
it  was  decided  to  begin  the  Mission,  and  I  was  instructed  to 
make  the  necessary  preparations  ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  for  me 
to  describe  the  work  which  this  involved.  The  Island  Districts 


522  GEORGE    BROWN 

of  Fiji  and  Samoa  were  applied  to  for  volunteers,  and,  as  on 
previous  occasions,  the  appeal  was  nobly  responded  to.  The 
Rev.  J.  F.  Goldie,  from  Queensland,  and  the  Rev.  S.  R.  Rooney, 
from  South  Australia,  also  volunteered.  Mr.  Rooney's  appoint- 
ment was  exceedingly  appropriate.  He  is  the  grandson  of 
the  late  Rev.  Stephen  Rabone,  a  well-known  missionary,  and 
General  Secretary  of  Foreign  Missions.  His  father,  the  Rev. 
Isaac  Rooney,  spent  some  twenty-four  years  in  the  Pacific,  and 
his  mother  died  whilst  on  her  way  to  New  Britain,  and  was 
buried  on  one  of  the  islands  of  the  group  to  which  her  son  was 
going.  The  offer  of  Mr.  J.  R.  Martin,  a  Methodist  layman,  well 
known  as  a  Christian  worker  in  New  South  Wales,  in  response 
to  an  appeal  for  a  missionary  carpenter,  was  gladly  accepted  by 
the  Board.  Mr.  Martin  volunteered  for  the  Mission  because  he 
desired  to  assist  as  far  as  he  could  in  the  noble  enterprise  of  the 
Church  to  which  he  belonged  ;  and  I  should  like  here  to  record 
that  he  rendered  splendid  service  in  the  erection  of  the  mission 
houses  in  the  Solomons,  after  which  he  proceeded  to  New 
Britain,  but  was  compelled  to  leave  that  District  by  failing 
health,  and  died  some  years  afterwards  in  Orange.  He  was  a 
good  man,  a  devoted  Christian,  and  an  earnest  worker  for  the 
good  of  the  natives  amongst  whom  he  lived. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Missions,  held  on 
April  30,  resolutions  of  sympathy  and  love  to  the  missionaries 
and  teachers  were  passed  by  the  Board,  and  these  were  after- 
wards presented  at  a  large  valedictory  meeting  held  in  the 
Centenary  Hall.  At  this  meeting,  which  was  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  Society,  there  was  a  large  gathering  of 
missionaries,  as, in  addition  to  the  Solomons  contingent,  farewell 
was  taken  of  the  Rev.  C.  O.  and  Mrs.  Lelean,  Rev.  W.  E.  and 
Mrs.  Crawford,  Rev.  C.  and  Mrs.  Bleazard,  who  were  all  going 
to  Fiji ;  Rev.  E.  W.  and  Mrs.  Caust  to  Rotuma  ;  Rev.  E.  G. 
and  Mrs.  Neil  to  Samoa  ;  Rev.  C.  and  Mrs.  Doley  to  New 
Britain,  and  Rev.  E.  J.  Piper  to  Cairns.  We  left  in  the  s.s. 
Titus  on  Friday,  May  22,  1902.  I  have  already  given  the 
names  of  the  missionaries,  and  now  place  on  record  those  of 


fc 


•*': 

-  '-.'    j       .      -<  •  jc 


-'    -    <. 

RETURN   OF  FLEET  OF  TOMAKOS   (WAR  CANOES)   FROM   AN  EXPEDITION. 


A    WAR    CANOE    STARTING    ON    EXPEDITION. 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     523 

our  native  colleagues.  From  Fiji  :  Joni  Laqere  and  Miriami 
his  wife,  Aparosa  Rakuita  and  Keleraani  his  wife,  Wiliami 
Gavidi,  Rusiate  Sawatabu,  and  Samu,  a  native  of  the  Solomon 
Islands  who  had  been  converted  in  Fiji.  From  Samoa  :  Muna 
and  his  wife  Tupuaga,  Saiasi  and  his  wife  Tupuai,  Seru  and  his 
wife  Avane,  and  Ulu,  a  New  Hebrides  islander  who  had  lived 
a  long  time  in  Samoa.  We  reached  Gavutu  on  May  22,  and 
were  joined  at  that  port,  much  to  my  satisfaction,  by 
Mr.  Woodford,  the  British  Commissioner,  on  a  visit  to  the 
western  part  of  the  group  on  business  connected  with  the 
Government. 

We  anchored  at  Ruviana  on  May  23,  1902,  a  day  which  will 
be  historical  as  that  on  which  the  Solomon  Islands  Mission  was 
definitely  commenced.  I  had  great  pleasure  at  a  later  date  in 
conveying  to  Mr.  F.  Wickham  and  Mr.  N.  Wheatley  the  sincere 
thanks  of  the  Board  of  Missions  for  the  assistance  which  they 
rendered  to  us  in  those  days  ;  but  that  can  express  only  very 
inadequately  the  gratitude  which  we  on  the  spot  all  felt  for  the 
kindness  we  received  from  them.  Our  reception  by  the  people 
was  just  as  I  had  expected,  and  fully  justified  the  action  I  had 
taken  on  my  previous  visits.  There  was  no  active  opposition 
from  the  chiefs  or  from  the  people.  They  did  not  receive  us 
with  any  enthusiasm  or  cordiality,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
took  no  steps  to  prevent  our  landing.  One  old  chief,  however, 
from  the  island  of  Ruviana  was  very  excited,  and  as  he  was 
haranguing  the  natives,  and  trying  to  make  them  as  excited  as 
himself,  I  thought  it  time  to  interfere.  After  a  few  kindly 
words  I  asked  him  where  he  came  from,  and  he  told  me  from 
Ruviana.  "  Well,  go  back  and  stay  at  Ruviana,  and  do  just  as 
you  like  there.  We  will  not  interfere  with  you  until  you  ask 
us  to  go.  I  have  got  a  little  island  on  which  we  intend  to  live, 
and  you  need  never  come  near  us  unless  you  wish  to  do  so." 
After  a  little  more  quiet  talk  he  went  away,  and  I  did  not  see 
him  again  for  some  weeks. 

On  Sunday,  May  25,  I  conducted  the  first  service  ashore  in 
this  Mission,  and  1  think  it  well  to  give  a  brief  account  of  it,  as 


524  GEORGE    BROWN 

it  will  show  the  principles  on  which  we  acted,  and  the  advice 
which  I  continuously  gave  to  the  teachers.  I  pulled  over  to  Mr. 
Wheatley's  station  early  in  the  morning,  and  we  all  assembled 
in  front  of  his  house  in  the  open  air.  I  had  to  speak  to  the 
teachers  in  Fijian  and  Samoan,  and  this  made  it  rather  a 
mixed  kind  of  service.  I  gave  out  the  hymn  "  My  heart 
and  voice  I  raise,"  in  English,  then  gave  the  number  of  the 
translation  of  the  same  hymn  in  the  Fijian,  and  then  in  the 
Samoan  hymn-book.  The  Fijians  and  Samoans  sang  the  hymn 
to  the  same  tune,  '  Ascalon,'  whilst  we  sang  it  in  English.  I 
was  the  only  one  who  understood  the  three  languages,  but 
I  have  no  doubt  it  sounded  all  right  to  people  at  a  distance. 
Then  I  read  the  lesson  alternately  in  Fijian  and  Samoan,  and 
gave  the  address  separately  to  each  company  of  the  teachers. 
I  felt  the  responsibility  of  my  position  very  much  indeed,  and 
was  very  thankful  afterwards  for  the  assurance  that  the  words 
of  counsel  and  advice  which  I  offered  created  a  deep  impression 
on  the  minds  of  the  teachers.  I  knew  well  from  my  experience 
in  the  past  the  mistakes  which  men  placed  in  the  position  in 
which  they  were  were  liable  to  make  in  their  intercourse  with 
the  people,  and  the  trouble  which  might  easily  be  caused  by  any 
assumption  of  superior  power,  or  by  the  appearance  of  any 
overbearing  conduct  on  their  part  towards  the  natives  amongst 
whom  they  lived.  1  told  them,  very  .earnestly,  that  the  greatest 
power  in  the  world  was  that  of  love,  and  that  we  could  only  hope 
to  win  the  people  by  proving  in  every  way  that  we  loved  them, 
and  that  we  had  come  to  them  because  God  loved  them,  and 
because  Christ  died  for  them,  and  had  sent  us  to  preach  His 
Gospel  to  them  to  save  them  from  their  sins,  through  faith  in 
His  name.  •*  I  followed  this  up  from  time  to  time  by  a  few 
kindly  words  of  advice  with  regard  to  their  intercourse  with 
the  people. 

Our  time  was  fully  occupied  in  the  hard  work  necessary  for 
the  commencement  of  a  large  station.  We  could  not  get  local 
labour  as  we  were  able  to  do  when  we  commenced  the  New 
Guinea  Mission,  and  our  work  consequently  took  much  longer 


THREE  GIRLS  OF  LUA  NIUA,  ONTONG  JAVA. 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     525 

than  it  would  otherwise  have  done.  Mr.  Wickham  and  Mr. 
Wheatley  were  very  kind  in  lending  us  some  of  their  native 
labour,  and  after  we  had  secured  a  site  on  the  mainland  Mr. 
Mahaffy  kindly  brought  a  large  number  of  the  constabulary, 
who  rendered  us  very  valuable  help.  Previous  to  this,  however, 
our  time  was  fully  occupied  in  cutting  the  heavy  piles  required 
for  the  foundation  of  the  house  at  Nusa  Songa,  boating  them 
over  to  the  island,  and  conveying  some  of  the  timber  and  goods 
to  the  station. 


NOTES   OF   VOYAGE    TO   YSABEL  ISLANDS,    LORD    HOWE 
(ONTONG  JAVA),  AND   TASMAN   GROUPS. 

Mr.  Woodford,  the  British  Resident  Commissioner,  having 
very  kindly  offered  me  the  opportunity  of  visiting  these  little- 
known  groups,  in  the  Government  schooner,  which  was  being 
sent  on  a  visit  of  inspection,  I  gladly  availed  myself  of  his  kind 
offer,  as,  from  previous  information  and  knowledge,  I  was 
strongly  of  opinion  that  these  groups,  peopled,  as  they  were  said 
to  be,  by  a  Polynesian  race,  would  be  a  grand  field  of  work 
for  our  Tongan  and  Samoan  teachers,  which  could  easily  be 
supervised  from  Ruviana.  I  have  written  a  long  account  of  this 
most  interesting  voyage  which  was  printed  in  the  Missionary 
Review,  but  can  only  give  a  brief  abstract  here. 

We  left  Ruviana  on  June  13,  and  after  reaching  Ysabel  we 
passed  through  a  large  sound,  about  twelve  miles  south-east  of 
Manning  Straits,  where  the  island  is  pierced  by  a  deep  water- 
way dotted  with  islands  of  varying  size.  We  were,  in  fact,  on 
the  track  taken  by  the  Spaniards  three  hundred  years  before, 
when  they  first  discovered  the  group.  On  Monday,  June  16,  we 
reached  Kia,  near  Port  Praslin,  and  after  a  rough  passage 
from  there  we  entered  the  large  lagoon  on  the  evening  of 
Tuesday,  the  I7th,  very  thankful  to  be  in  a  safe  and  good 
anchorage.  The  atoll,  which  is  called  by  the  natives,  Lua  Niua, 
and  is  known  on  the  charts  as  Ontong  Java,  is,  I  believe,  the 
largest  single  atoll  in  the  world.  The  natives,  we  soon  found, 


526  GEORGE    BROWN 

were  of  the  Eastern  Polynesian  race,  for  I  and  the  Samoan 
teacher  who  accompanied  me  could  understand  many  of  their 
words  and  some  of  their  sentences. 

We  landed  on  June  18.  As  we  neared  the  beach  two 
natives  came  out  on  the  reef,  each  holding  the  end  of  a  long 
string  of  cocoanut  leaves,  with  some  very  young  nuts  tied  on  it. 
One  of  them  went  on  each  side  of  the  boat,  and  brushed  the 
leaves,  etc.,  over  our  heads,  whilst  the  old  priest  on  shore  offered 
up  some  prayer  or  incantation.  This  was  to  drive  away  any 
sickness  or  ill-luck  that  we  might  be  bringing  with  us.  The 
atoll  is  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  circumference,  and 
at  some  places  is  very  wide ;  in  fact,  when  we  were  beating  up 
in  the  schooner  we  were  often  out  of  sight  of  the  reef  on  both 
sides  of  us.  The  reef  is  dotted  with  islands,  containing  a  great 
many  cocoanut  palms.  None  of  the  islands,  I  think,  exceeds  half 
a  mile  in  width.  There  are  also  a  number  of  islands  in  the 
lagoon  itself.  We  first  called  on  the  chief,  Uila,  and  found  him 
to  be  a  typical  Polynesian  chief,  very  dignified  and  very  polite. 
He  had  evidently  very  great  influence  amongst  the  people,  and 
occupied  a  position  very  different  to  that  which  is  held  by 
most  of  the  Melanesian  chiefs  I  have  known.  On  our  way  back 
we  looked  in  at  the  heathen  temple,  but  were  not  allowed  to  go 
inside.  The  chief  priest  and  his  attendants  were  seated  in  it, 
but  did  not  come  out  to  see  us.  The  building  was  not  in  good 
repair.  It  was  about  fifty  feet  in  length,  by  about  twenty  feet 
wide.  At  one  end  there  were  two  large,  rudely  carved  figures, 
considerably  over  life-size.  We  were  told  in  pidgin-English  by 
a  man  who  had  been  to  sea,  that  one  was  a  "  male  devil,"  and 
the  other  a  female  of  the  same  genus.  On  a  lower  platform,  at  the 
feet  of  the  figures,  were  two  images  of  children,  to  complete 
the  family.  The  house  was  full  of  carved  representations  of 
every  kind  of  fish,  and  of  all  the  animals  with  which  the  people 
have  any  acquaintance.  So  far  as  we  could  gather,  the  principal 
functions  of  the  priests  are  to  make  spells  for  the  cure  of 
sickness,  avert  misfortune,  control  the  winds  and  weather,  and, 
generally,  to  do  everything  which  the  people  wish  them  to  do. 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,   FIJI— EVENTIDE     527 

It  is  a  pretty  large  order,  but,  from  all  I  could  hear,  the  people 
have  full  confidence  in  their  powers. 

We  then  walked  to  what  I  consider  one  of  the  most 
interesting  places  I  have  visited,  namely,  the  very  peculiar 
graveyards  in  these  islands.  Contrary  to  the  general  custom  in 
the  Pacific,  all  the  dead  are  buried  together,  and  not,  as  is  the 
usual  custom,  near  the  houses  where  they  have  lived.  The 
cemeteries  here  are  in  open  cleared  spaces  covered  over  with 
white  sand,  and  they  are  kept  most  scrupulously  clean,  not  a  leaf 
or  piece  of  dirt  being  allowed  to  remain  upon  them.  Every  grave 
is  marked  by  a  large  upright  coral  slab,  which,  in  many  instances, 
is  highly  coloured,  and  the  top  of  the  slab  is  also  frequently 
covered  with  pandanus  leaves.  It  was  a  most  affecting  sight  to 
see  some  of  the  mourners  for  a  child,  which  had  been  dead  some 
months,  sitting  over  the  grave  with  heads  bowed  down,  and  in 
complete  silence.  They  had  erected  a  small  rude  hut  close  to 
the  grave,  and  in  this  way  lived  for  at  least  a  year,  most  of 
which  time  was  spent  in  sitting  or  lying  on  the  grave  by  day 
and  night.  One  poor  widow  was  carefully  and  tenderly  sweeping 
the  sand  over  her  late  husband's  grave.  Some  of  the  large 
slabs  were  in  the  shape  of  a  cross.  On  one  of  these  places  there 
was  a  rudely  carved  figure.  In  the  cemetery  of  the  chiefs 
family  a  number  of  women  were  sitting  over  the  grave  in  which 
his  deceased  wife  had  been  lately  buried,  and  for  whom  the  chief 
was  still  in  deep  mourning. 

My  intercourse  with  these  people  was  made  much  easier 
by  finding  one  native  who  had  lived  some  years  in  Samoa, 
another  who  had  lived  in  Tonga,  and  a  third  who  had  been  for 
some  years  in  Fiji.  All  these  knew  the  respective  languages, 
and,  as  I  understood  them  all,  I  was  able  to  talk  with  them,  and 
get  them  to  explain  the  object  of  our  coming.  The  women,  I 
noticed,  had  their  hair  cropped  very  close,  but  the  men  had 
the  same  wavy  black  hair  that  the  Samoans  have,  and  in 
many  instances  they  wore  it  just  as  the  old  heathen  Samoans 
used  to  do.  All  the  men  were  very  much  disfigured  by  the 
custom  of  slitting  each  nostril,  in  which  they  inserted  a  pendant 


528  GEORGE    BROWN 

made  of  tortoise-shell.  The  men  had  two  distinct  kinds  of 
tattooing,  which,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  were  distinctive  badges 
of  their  respective  "  totems."  Some  of  them  had  beards,  but 
the  majority  had  little  or  none  at  all.  Every  time  we  landed 
we  had  the  string  of  cocoanut  leaves  dragged  over  our  heads  ; 
so  I  think  they  kept  free  from  all  diseases. 

On  June  22  we  ran  down  to  the  island  of  Pelau,  in  the 
lagoon,  about  thirty-three  miles  distant,  and  from  there  we 
visited  the  Tasman  Group,  the  native  name  of  which  is  Numanu. 
This  a  fine  atoll,  like  an  elongated  horse-shoe  in  shape,  with  the 
entrance  through  the  reef  at  the  open  end.  There  is  no  entrance 
all  round  the  circular  part.  It  was  very  wonderful  to  see  these 
atolls  in  the  midst  of  the  wide,  open  sea,  with  deep  blue  water 
right  up  to  the  great  breakwater  of  coral  which  enclosed  the 
comparatively  shallow  lagoon  inside.  The  reef  is  dotted  over 
its  whole  extent  with  islands  and  islets,  all  of  which  are 
evidently  growing  in  size  year  by  year.  Each  island  has  a  bank 
of  pure  white  sand  at  either  end,  showing  newly  made  land  ;  in 
some  cases  two  or  more  islets  are  nearly  united,  and  others 
show  that  they  have  been  united  in  years  past.  We  had  one 
very  interesting  fact  made  clear  to  us.  In  a  chart  (the  most 
recent  one)  made  of  Numanu  in  1888,  there  was  only  one  island 
at  the  entrance  of  the  passage  by  which  we  came  into  the 
lagoon,  and  a  number  of  stones  were  marked  on  the  chart  a 
little  farther  south  ;  but  at  the  time  of  our  visit  that  place  was 
an  islet,  with  a  number  of  cocoanut  trees  on  it,  most,  or  all,  of 
which  appeared  to  be  in  full  bearing.  We  noticed  also  that  in 
another  passage  where  a  reef  was  marked  in  the  1888  chart 
there  were  then  four  cocoanut  trees  growing  on  it.  We  found 
good  deep  water  in  the  lagoon,  and  were  most  of  the  afternoon 
beating  up  with  a  nice  breeze. 

Whilst  on  this  group  I  visited  some  curious  wells,  where 
some  hawksbill  turtles  were  kept  confined.  There  were  eleven 
wells,  which  formerly  were  all  filled,  but  at  this  time  only  two  of 
them  were  occupied  by  the  turtles.  They  are  caught  young,  and 
placed  in  these  wells,  which  are  connected  with  the  tide,  and  the 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     529 

animals  are  fed  regularly  every  day  with  shell-fish.  The  top  of 
each  well  is  covered  over  with  logs  and  cocoanut  leaves,  so  that 
the  turtle  lives  in  a  state  of  semi-darkness,  and  this,  I  think,  is 
to  cause  the  shell  to  preserve  the  amber  or  yellow  colour  which 
the  people  value  so  much.  Each  turtle  is  stripped  of  one  or 
more  plates  of  shell  every  year,  and  then  put  back  into  its  well 
to  grow  more.  It  seemed  very  cruel  to  us,  but  the  natives 
appeared  to  think  that  the  turtle  does  not  object  to  the  process, 
as  he  is  well  fed  every  day  with  shell-fish. 

Some  old  ladies  there  gave  us  a  series  of  very  vigorous 
dances,  which  appeared  to  consist  of  some  kind  of  challenge  by 
the  orchestra,  which  was  responded  to  by  the  dancers  by  voice, 
gesture,  and  dancing.  It  was  all  very  good-natured,  and 
provoked  great  laughter,  without  the  slightest  appearance  of 
anything  objectionable  either  in  word  or  gesture.  Two  of  the 
old  ladies  got  so  excited  that,  amid  roars  of  laughter,  they 
attempted  to  rub  noses  with  me,  which  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  kissing  that  they  have.  I  objected,  of  course,  but  when  the 
dance  was  over,  and  we  were  coming  away,  they  both  came 
forward,  took  my  hand,  and  we  rubbed  noses  together  in  the 
most  friendly  manner. 

We,  of  course,  visited  the  temple  of  the  patron  saint,  or 
"  devil-devil,"  Puapua.  The  temple  is  a  very  large  building,  but 
is  nearly  falling  down.  The  pillars  were  all  covered  with  plaited 
sinnett,  and  when  the  building  was  new  it  must  have  been  very 
imposing  indeed.  The  idol  was  by  far  the  best  I  have  seen,  and 
it  seemed  to  us  that  it  was  regarded  by  the  people  as  being  the 
representative  of  the  deity  or  devil,  and  that  it  was  worshipped 
by  them.  The  remains  of  the  old  Puapua  were  visible  around 
the  feet  of  the  new  one,  notably  the  remains  of  his  helmet,  with 
long  points  indicating  spears.  Our  guide  told  us  with  great 
gravity  that  the  old  fellow  used  to  kill  too  many  people,  so 
when  he  got  into  a  state  of  disrepair,  and  they  made  a  new  idol, 
they  made  his  head-gear  much  smaller,  and  did  not  put  so  many 
spear  points  on  it,  nor  make  them  as  long  as  in  the  previous 
case,  and  so  sought  to  curtail  his  powers  of  mischief. 

34 


530  GEORGE    BROWN 

We  went  ashore  at  night,  and  I  gave  them  a  lantern 
exhibition,  which  amazed  and  delighted  them.  It  was  a  calm 
night,  and  we  hung  the  sheet  under  the  cocoanut  trees,  where  it 
was  very  dark  indeed.  They  had  never  seen  anything  like  it 
before,  and  I  certainly  never  showed  the  views  under  more 
peculiar  circumstances.  The  place,  a  lonely  atoll  standing 
alone  in  the  waste  of  water  in  the  broad  Pacific,  the  crowds  of 
wonder-stricken  natives,  and  only  two  or  three  white  men 
present ;  and  yet  we  felt  as  safe  as  in  any  city  in  our  own  land, 
whilst  the  joy  one  felt  at  being  able  to  give  so  much  pleasure, 
the  curious  remarks  made  by  the  people,  especially  by  our 
interpreter,  Bob,  all  combined  to  make  the  night  memorable  to 
us.  After  the  views  had  been  shown  I  took  out  the  burners,  and 
the  brilliant  light  of  four  acetylene  gas-burners  completed  the 
amazement  of  the  people.  As  there  was  plenty  of  carbide 
unused,  I  left  the  light  burning,  and  so  they  soon  had  another 
and  larger  dance  organised  ;  and  this  they  kept  up  until  we  were 
all  tired,  and  I  put  out  the  light,  packed  up,  and  went  on  board. 
Bob  and  the  natives  came  on  board  the  following  morning,  and 
we  were  soon  under  way.  He  said  the  people  were  all  full  of 
wonder  at  the  exhibition  the  previous  night.  They  said  :  "  You 
no  all  same  man,  you  all  same  devil."  This  was  meant  as  a 
great  compliment  to  me.  We  had  a  narrow  escape  from  ship- 
wreck on  our  way  back,  but  finally  reached  Ruviana  again 
on  July  4. 

I  could  not  induce  the  people  to  take  a  teacher  that  time, 
nor  did  I  think  it  wise  to  press  the  matter  until  we  were  in  a 
better  position  to  occupy  the  group.  The  Rev.  J.  F.  Goldie 
took  teachers  the  following  year,  but  they  refused  to  allow  them 
to  land.  He  went  again,  after  waiting  another  twelve  months,  but 
the  natives  still  refused  to  receive  them.  Mr.  Goldie  was  about 
to  return,  when  the  two  teachers,  a  Tongan  called  Jemesa  Nau 
and  a  Samoan  called  Pologa,  absolutely  refused  to  leave.  They 
said  to  Mr.  Goldie  :  "  You  take  our  wives  and  children  back, 
but  leave  us  the  boat,  and  we  will  stay  here  until  the  people  are 
of  a  better  mind,  for  it  is  God's  will  that  the  Gospel  should  be 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     531 

preached  amongst  them,  and  we  will  wait  until  the  door  is 
opened  for  us  to  enter."  And  so  those  two  brave  men  lived  in 
a  small  boat  anchored  near  the  shore  of  the  lagoon  for  more 
than  three  months,  during  which  time  they  were  often  short  of 
food,  and  for  some  days  without  water,  until  a  native  swam  off  at 
night  with  some  cocoanuts  for  them  to  drink.  They  were  very 
rarely  allowed  on  shore,  and  were  compelled  to  sleep  in  the 
boat  during  all  those  weeks.  At  length  a  chief  from  another 
island  asked  them  to  go  to  him,  and  they  commenced  the  work 
there,  with  the  result  that  in  the  course  of  two  years  they  had 
three  large  churches  built  in  the  principal  places  of  the  group, 
including  the  town  in  which  they  were  at  first  forbidden  to  land, 
and  the  great  bulk  of  the  people  were  regular  attendants  at  the 
schools  and  services.  No  more  heroic  act  has  been  recorded  in 
modern  missions  than  that  of  those  two  devoted  men. 

On  our  return  to  Ruviana  I  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  large 
piece  of  land  for  the  principal  station,  on  which  a  good  house 
was  subsequently  erected,  and  a  flourishing  Mission  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  and  Mrs.  Goldie.  Rev.  S.  R.  and  Mrs.  Rooney 
subsequently  removed  to  the  island  of  Choiseul,  and  they  also 
have  been  signally  successful  in  the  work  which  they  have  been 
privileged  to  do  in  that  large  island. 

I  visited  the  group  again  in  1905,  and  was  much  pleased 
with  the  wonderful  progress  which  had  been  made.  Mr.  Goldie 
had  planted  the  whole  of  the  land  which  we  purchased  with 
cocoanuts,  and  this  in  itself  was  a  valuable  object-lesson  for  the 
people,  in  teaching  them  the  value  of  their  waste  lands. 

FIJI 

I  can  say  but  little  of  my  experience  in  this  great  Mission. 
The  story  of  Fiji,  and  the  wonderful  success  which  has  been 
achieved  there,  would  require  far  more  space  than  can  possibly 
be  occupied  in  this  work,  and  I  content  myself  with  giving  an 
extract  from  a  "Brief  Account  of  Methodist  Missions,"  which 
I  wrote  some  time  ago:  "Up  to  the  year  1835  the  darkness  of 
a  most  cruel  and  revolting  heathenism  still  covered  the  whole 


532  GEORGE    B.ROWN 

of  the  islands,  and  gross  darkness  the  hearts  of  the  people.  In 
no  other  land  in  these  seas  were  the  people  more  cruel  than  in 
Fiji,  and  nowhere  did  the  chiefs  wield  a  more  despotic  power. 
We  owe  this  grand  Mission,  as  also  our  Samoan  Mission,  to  the 
constraining  love  of  Christ  in  the  hearts  of  men  who  accepted 
Him  as  their  Saviour  in  that  great  Pentecostal  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  Tonga  in  the  year  1834.  The  men  and 
women  who  were  so  abundantly  blessed  in  that  great  revival 
were  filled  with  an  intense  longing  that  all  the  world  should  be 
partakers  of  the  peace  and  joy  which  filled  their  own  hearts. 
They  pleaded  for  Fiji  with  a  power  which  was  irresistible,  and 
in  a  few  months  Messrs.  Cargill  and  Cross,  yielding  to  their 
entreaties  to  be  led  to  preach  Christ  to  the  heathen,  took  charge 
of  a  number  of  these  devoted  men,  and  together  they  landed  in 
Fiji  on  October  12,  1835. 

"  No  more  apparently  hopeless  task  could  have  been  under- 
taken, when  those  two  solitary  white  men  and  a  few  of  their 
Tongan  converts  landed  to  attack  the  very  citadel  of  Satan, 
and  were  confronted  by  at  least  140,000  of  the  most  fierce  and 
cruel  savages  in  all  the  Pacific  groups.  But  God  was  with  them  ; 
and  when  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  last  century 
is  written,  one  of  the  most  marvellous  facts  which  the  historian 
will  have  to  record  will  be  the  wonderful  work  of  God  which 
has  been  done  in  Fiji,  and  the  glorious  success  with  which  He 
has  blessed  the  labours  of  His  servants  there.  Few  people 
realise  the  magnitude  of  the  work  done,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
success  which  has  been  achieved.  We  can  give  statistics  which 
tell  of  the  numbers  of  our  churches,  the  extent  of  our  Circuits, 
and  the  number  of  the  members  and  adherents,  but  these  can 
give  no  correct  idea  of  the  actual  result.  We  cannot  tell  of  the 
thousands  whose  lives  were  changed  by  the  power  of  Divine 
truth,  to  whom  new  ideals  were  given,  who  were  led  step  by 
step  from  low  to  higher  levels  of  Christian  experience,  and  were 
made  new  men  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  testified  by  their  daily  life 
to  the  reality  of  the  change,  and  passed  from  earth  to  heaven 
in  the  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection.  In 


Photo  by  Mr.  H.  P.  M.  Berry. 

"  A    STUDY    IN    BLACK    AND    WHITE." 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     533 

every  Fiji  village  to-day  may  be  found  good  and  noble  men  and 
women  who  '  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all 
things  ; '  and  from  those  little-known  places  have  gone  many  of 
those  devoted  labourers  who,  not  counting  life  dear  unto  them, 
have  left  their  homes  to  live  and  labour  in  the  mission  field — 
to  do,  to  dare,  and  to  die  for  Christ's  sake,  that  the  heathen 
might  be  brought  to  know  Him  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal. 
Some  of  these  heroic  lives  we  know,  but  we  rejoice  in  the 
assurance  that  around  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven  are  gathered 
many  thousands  of  those  dark-skinned  Fijians  whom  the  world 
has  never  known,  but  who,  being  redeemed  by  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ,  and.  having  accepted  Him  as  their  Saviour,  are 
now  for  ever  with  the  Lord." 

I  have  been  many  times  in  Fiji,  but  have  never  laboured 
there.  I  have  at  different  times  been  in  every  one  of  the  Circuits, 
and  with  two  or  three  exceptions  have  been  on  all  the  mission 
stations,  and  I  never  visited  the  place  without  being  filled  with 
wonder  and  gratitude  to  God  for  the  grand  work  which  has 
been  accomplished  in  that  District. 

RETIREMENT   FROM   OFFICE 

Having  notified  the  Board  of  Missions  of  my  intention  to 
retire  from  the  office  of  General  Secretary  at  the  General 
Conference,  a  very  kind  resolution  was  recorded  on  the  Minutes; 
and  at  the  General  Conference  held  in  Sydney  in  June  1907, 
I  tendered  my  resignation.  I  cannot  here  set  down  the  many 
kind  words  which  were  spoken  by  representatives  from  all  the 
Conferences.  I  can  only,  in  justice  to  the  General  Conference, 
give  the  resolution  which  was  adopted  by  a  standing  vote,  the 
Conference  remaining  standing  whilst  the  President  presented 
the  resolution  and  expressed  to  me  the  good  wishes  of  my 
brethren.  The  resolution  was  as  follows :  "  In  connection  with 
the  retirement  of  the  Rev.  George  Brown,  D.D.,  from  the  office 
of  General  Secretary  of  Missions,  the  General  Conference 
hereby  records  its  sense  of  the  value  of  the  services  rendered  by 
him  during  his  long  and  distinguished  missionary  career.  First, 


534  GEORGE    BROWN 

as  a  missionary  to  Samoa,  then  as  the  founder  and  pioneer  of 
the  New  Britain  Mission,  and,  for  the  past  twenty  years,  as 
General  Secretary  for  Missions,  he  has  had  a  term  of  almost 
unbroken  missionary  service  of  no  less  than  forty-seven  years. 
During  his  connection  with  the  Society  its  operations  have 
extended  to  New  Britain,  New  Guinea,  and  the  Solomon 
Islands,  and  it  has  been  Dr.  Brown's  distinguished  honour  to 
have  played  a  prominent  part  in  founding  all  these  new 
Missions.  As  Special  Commissioner  to  Tonga,  at  a  critical 
stage  of  the  history  of  our  work  there,  he  also  rendered  valuable 
service.  Full  of  missionary  enthusiasm,  and  possessed  of  a 
unique  knowledge  of  the  Polynesian  races,  Dr.  Brown  has  been 
a  trusted  leader  in  all  our  forward  movement,  and  a  brother 
beloved  and  revered  by  all  the  missionaries  in  the  field.  He 
has  also  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  native 
races  in  all  the  Districts  under  our  care.  The  Conference 
regrets  his  resignation,  and  prays  that  to  him  may  be  given 
a  prolonged  and  restful  eventide  after  his  long,  strenuous,  and 
successful  missionary  toil."  The  Conference  also  decided  that 
this  resolution  should  be  suitably  engrossed,  and  presented  to 
me  at  the  ensuing  New  South  Wales  Conference.  At  a  later 
stage  of  the  Conference  I  was  appointed  Honorary  Secretary 
of  Missions. 

I  had  to  remain  in  office  until  April  1908,  the  end  of  the 
Connexional  year,  thus  completing  twenty-one  years'  service 
as  General  Secretary.  At  the  New  South  Wales  Conference 
of  1908  I  became  supernumerary,  and  on  that  occasion  the 
Conference  passed  the  following  resolution  :  "  On  the  retire- 
ment of  the  Rev.  George  Brown,  D.D.,  from  the  office  of 
General  Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  the 
Conference  hereby  places  on  record  its  appreciation  of  the 
distinguished  services  rendered  by  him  throughout  a  strenuous 
ministry,  extending  over  forty-eight  years.  Imbued  with  the 
missionary  spirit,  he  offered  as  a  candidate  for  service  in 
the  foreign  field,  and  for  nearly  half  a  century  has  devoted 
himself  to  the  work  of  God  in  connection  with  the  Foreign 


SOLOMON    ISLANDS,    FIJI— EVENTIDE     535 

Missionary  Society.  After  labouring  for  fifteen  years  in  Samoa, 
and  a  short  term  in  circuit  work  in  Sydney,  he  was  appointed 
in  1887  to  the  office  of  General  Secretary  for  Foreign  Missions, 
the  duties  of  which  he  has  performed  with  distinguished  ability 
and  fidelity.  The  new  Missions  to  New  Britain,  New  Guinea, 
and  the  Solomon  Islands  were  established  by  a  faithful  band  of 
missionaries  led,  in  each  case,  by  Dr.  Brown,  whose  courage, 
sagacity,  and  fostering  care  contributed  largely  to  the  success 
those  new  Missions  have  achieved.  As  General  Secretary  of 
Foreign  Missions,  Dr.  Brown  holds  a  unique  place  in  the 
affections  and  esteem  of  our  missionaries  ;  as  a  Christian  man 
he  is  widely  known  and  universally  respected  and  trusted  by 
officials  and  commercial  men,  by  Governors  and  other  high 
functionaries  of  the  Crown,  as  well  as  the  less-known  traders  in 
the  Pacific  ;  as  a  member  of  the  Australasian  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  a  frequent  and  welcome 
contributor  to  its  discussions,  he  has  won  hearty  and  apprecia- 
tive recognition  ;  and  as  a  Methodist  minister  he  is  esteemed 
as  a  'brother  beloved.'  In  1891  the  Conference  conferred  on 
Dr.  Brown  the  highest  honour  in  its  gift,  by  placing  him  in  the 
Presidential  Chair,  and  in  this  position,  as  well  as  in  others,  he 
discharged  its  obligations  with  credit  to  himself  and  honour  to 
the  Connexion.  The  Conference  assures  Dr.  Brown,  who  still 
retains  his  connection  with  the  Foreign  Missionary  Department 
as  Honorary  Secretary,  of  its  warm  affection,  and  prays  that 
while  released  from  the  actual  responsibility  of  office,  he  may  be 
spared  to  further  enrich  the  literature  of  missionary  history  by 
a  permanent  record  of  '  the  wonderful  works  of  God  '  in  the 
South  Pacific." 

I  was  also  presented  with  the  illuminated  address  of  the 
General  Conference,  and  a  cheque  representing  an  amount  con- 
tributed by  many  friends  in  the  respective  States  and  New 
Zealand.  The  Home  Committee  in  London  also  recorded 
on  their  Minutes  an  appreciation  of  the  work  which  I  had 
been  privileged  to  do.  This  was  highly  appreciated  by  the 
Australasian  Board  of  Missions,  and  also  by  myself. 


536  GEORGE    BROWN 

Progress  to  end  of  1907  of  our  latest  Missions,  all  of  which  were 
absolutely  heathen  at  the  time  when  they  were  begun  by  tJie 
Australasian  Board  of  Missions. 


New  Britain, 

New  Guinea, 

Sol.  Islands, 

begun  1875 

begun  1891 

begun  1902 

Churches        .... 

C7 

•j*y 

Missionaries  .        .         .         .        (  - 

7 

V 
7 

mm 

Missionary  Sisters 

4 

/ 

4 

I 

Native  ministers  and  catechists 

15 

ii 

4 

Teachers      ,        . 

•       *53 

56 

13 

Local  preachers    .... 

174 

37 

Church  members 

•     3,"9 

908 

43 

Sunday-school  scholars 

.     5,506 

3,597 

820 

Attendants  on  public  worship 

•   19,594 

19,776 

5,050 

PROGRESS  DURING  TWO  DECADES 

The  following  figures  will  be  interesting  to  many  as  showing 
the  progress  made  in  our  mission  work  in  twenty  years.  There 
were — 

j  1886.     Full  members 29,546 

|  1906.  „  .     40,562 

j  1886.     Adherents        .....   110,242 
(  1906.  „  ......   131,809 

f  1886.     Income  £11,632 

(  1906.          „  25,066 

f  1886.     Expenditure ,£12,403 

1  1906.  „  .         •      27,434 

The  contributions  from  native  churches  in  1906  were  as 
follows : 

Chinese,  £23  js.  ;  Samoa,  £858  os.  $d. ;  Fiji,  £4,842  is.  8d  ; 
New  Britain,  £1,389  3^. ;  New  Guinea,  £216  2s.  gd.\  Solomon 
Islands,  £4  2s.  Total,  £7,332  \6s.  Sd. 


Printed  by  Haull,  Walton  &  Vintyt  Ld.t  London  and  Avl€»bury. 


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JA 
MAR1 


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